Power Rangers: Spy-Busters (Redux)
by xXRocketShark216Xx
Summary: When a failed experiment to create an AI Unit to monitor entire cities resulted in the near destruction of Starview Heights, three children's lives were changed forever. Ten years after that fateful day, these three teens must band together to finish what it started. They are-Power Rangers: Spy-Busters! (Fanmade Go-Busters Adaptation) (Post-Super Megaforce)
1. Ep 1: Destinies Fulfilled, Part 1

**A/N:** Hey guys, it's me, xXRocketShark216Xx here, with my (second) attempt at adapting the Sentai series that Saban didn't want, "Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters".

This is not the first incarnation of Power Rangers: Spy-Busters; in fact, it's technically the third. (We don't speak of the very first version for...reasons I won't get into. Namely, like all my early stories, it sucked.) On the surface, this may just look like a better written version of the story, but actually, while this version will share a lot of elements with the previous one, it will also be drastically different in a lot of ways. Therefore, I implore you, if you were a fan of the last failed attempt and are thinking this is just going to be the same story over again, please reconsider and give this new version a chance.

For those of you that have never read my previous attempt, welcome! I hope you'll enjoy this newest version of Spy-Busters, and I promise you, this version _will_ be completed.

Without further ado, here is the premiere episode of the first installment to my new OC Ranger Saga, entitled "Destinies Fulfilled". I hope you guys like it!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

 _The year is 2016. The place: Starview Heights, Georgia, a sprawling metropolis powered by an experimental energy source known as Enertron. Thanks to Enertron, which has the energy output potential to power all of New York for an entire year with just one gallon, Starview Heights has become a city well-known for its technological marvels. Some tourists have even nicknamed it "The City of the Future"._

 _But things here have not always been peaceful. Ten years ago, a top secret government organization known as the Global Protection Unit-GPU for short-initiated Project: Messiah, working to create an artificial intelligence unit capable of overseeing and monitoring entire cities by itself._

 _It was supposed to make everyone's lives better. But one day, it went rampant._

 _Renaming itself "Psycho", the artificial intelligence took control of every major computer network in the city, building an army of evil robots and launching a campaign in order to take over the world. It dubbed this army: the Vaglass._

 _The GPU managed to stop Psycho by trapping him in an alternate dimension known as Hyperspace, but at a grave cost. Most of the city was destroyed, several thousands of people died, and in the end, the GPU was forced to shut down by the FBI._

 _Now, unbeknownst to the public, the remnants of the Vaglass army are still operating, committing Enertron robberies in an attempt to gather enough energy to free their leader from his digital prison._

 _A small portion of the GPU still operates in secret from a state of the art base deep underground, working to prevent Psycho's return. However, they are not enough. If Psycho and his Vaglass army are to be stopped, then this city needs heroes._

 _Three children whose lives were changed forever on that fateful day must rise to the challenge, and band together to become a team capable of winning the war and finishing this fight. These teenagers shall soon become...Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!_

* * *

It was a quiet night in the suburbs of Starview Heights. Inside the moderately sized six-bedroom home owned by the Glover family, the only sound that could be heard was the chirping of crickets outside.

Out of nowhere, a blood-curdling scream rang throughout the house, waking up its owner, Scott Glover.

Slowly getting out of bed, Scott quietly stepped into the hallway. He made sure not to wake up his two younger children, Seth and Eden, as he tiptoed past their rooms and made his way downstairs.

Turning left, Scott confirmed his suspicion-the scream was indeed coming from the guest bedroom downstairs. Grabbing the doorknob, he turned it slowly, opening the door to see a tall Caucasian male sitting up in bed, looking more than a little shaken up. This was Graham Ulry, Scott's nephew through marriage.

Looking to his nephew, Scott said, "Did you have another nightmare?"

Running a hand through his unkempt dark brown hair, Graham turned his to his uncle and said, "Yeah...".

"It was about that day, wasn't it? The day your mom...y'know."

"Y...Yeah." Graham confirmed, a single tear running down his cheek as he relived the memory in his head.

It had happened over ten years ago. Graham and his mother Melissa left his hometown of Water's Edge, Ohio on vacation in order to visit Graham's Uncle Scott and his wife Tammy, who was Melissa's older sister.

During the trip, Graham had asked his mother to go to the park, and she had agreed. While there, everything had been fun, until they left to go home. It was then that a driver had accidentally ran over his mother with a car...or at least, that was Graham had been told. He had passed out a moment before and was told that his mother had been hit while pushing him out of the way so that he wouldn't get hurt.

Either way, Graham woke up shortly to learn his mother had been rushed to the hospital. They went to see her, hoping for a recovery, but sadly, she died. Her last wish was that if anything were to happen to her, Graham would live with his Aunt Tammy, so for the past ten years, Scott had supported his wife in raising the boy along with their four actual children, Elayna, Torrie, Seth, and Eden.

Taking a deep breath, Scott said, "Graham, I know it's hard, but your mother is in a better place now. We all miss her very much, but we have to stay positive. She's gone now, but she lives on in our hearts. Especially yours. She gave her life so that you could keep yours. She loved you very much, Graham, and so do your Aunt and I."

"I know..." Graham replied, sniffling a little. "Do...do you think I'll ever see her again?"

"Someday." Scott told him. "One day, we're all going to go to a wonderful place, Graham, a place with no more sorrow and no more pain. A place where we can live eternally. You'll see your mom again once we get there. For now, though, she'd want you to move on with your life and become the responsible, strong young man she always knew you'd become. I'd try to go back to sleep now, if I were you. You have school in a few hours, and you don't want to oversleep."

"Yeah, you're right." Graham agreed, lying back down. "What time is Aunt Tammy coming home tomorrow?"

"They're telling me she can go home sometime in the early afternoon. She'll be back before you get home from school, I'm sure. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Graham echoed, closing his eyes in an attempt to get some rest. Little did he know, the next day would be a lot more eventful than he expected it to be.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a parallel world similar to our own...

"Enter..." A disembodied, gravelly voice moaned, its owner seemingly in tremendous pain. "Where are you, Enter?"

"You rang, Monsieur Psycho?" A voice asked, as a stream of data collected in the air, forming to resemble a tall half Caucasian/half Asian male with spiky jet black hair and golden eyes wearing a strange gray jumpsuit.

"Enter." Psycho boomed, in such a way that any mere mortal would shudder in fear at the sound of it. "I grow weaker...I must have more Enertron if I am ever to enact my revenge on the petty humans. Go create a Metaloid and steal a shipment, immediately."

"Your wish is my command, Monsieur." Enter said with a bow, fading away into a stream of data that then shot out, leaving Hyperspace for Earth.

"You'd better look out, humans..." Psycho said, his voice filling the empty void of his digital prison. "The Vaglass Army has returned!"

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,** _

**_Like it was the least that we could ever do.~_**

 ** _(*Shots of Graham, Colin, and Colleen flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, and Colleen is riding a bike. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)_**

 ** _~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,_**

 ** _Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~_**

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 ** _~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,_**

 ** _So load your gun, a war is coming!~_**

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist, as Colin and Colleen follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, the other two quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the three spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 ** _~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,_**

 ** _(Oh oh, oh oh)~_**

 ** _(*A shot of Graham, Colin, and Colleen each piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot piloted by a Metaloid is shown. Gripping the controls, the three each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)_**

 ** _~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, y_** ** _eah, we can face the firing squad!_**

 ** _(Oh oh, oh oh)~_**

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show**_ _ **Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing side by side, all three of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the three instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, the three rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 1: Destinies Fulfilled, Part 1**

"Colin, time to wake up!"

Seventeen year old Colin "CV" Voice groaned as he was roused from his sleep by his twin sister Colleen, who prodded him in order to get his attention.

Blinking tiredly, he reached for his nightstand, fumbling around until his hand found what he was looking for, his pair of black-framed glasses. Placing them on his face, he adjusted them so that he could see properly before running a hand through his short and thick reddish-brown hair, his emerald green eyes peering up at his twin in slight annoyance.

"Do I have to get up...?" He whined, causing his sister to roll her eyes.

"Of course you do." She told him. "It's our first day at SHHS! Can you believe it? Capt. Shields is finally letting us go back to public school!"

"Yeah, only because we're done with our Ranger Training." Colin said with a slight scoff.

"Yeah, _and_ it's our Senior year! Don't you wanna make some friends before you graduate?"

"Who cares about friends?" Her twin asked. " _We're_ supposed to save the world."

"You're such a stick in the mud." Colleen replied, leaving the room. Stopping in the doorway, she looked back to her brother, saying, "I'm gonna go do my hair. Get dressed and ready to go."

"Don't spend too much time in there!" Colin hollered after her. "It doesn't take an eternity to put your hair in a ponytail and cover one of your eyes with a giant bang! Sheesh...I'd better get ready..."

Colin and his sister had been orphans ever since an incident ten years ago involving a rampant AI named Psycho. They'd begged their mother to take them to the park, and she'd agreed. They had fun, but that was when the Vaglass started attacking.

Things quickly spiraled into chaos. Buildings were destroyed, people were killed, and not a single person was immune to the rogue computer program's wrath. In the end, Colin and Colleen somehow managed to survive, but at a grave cost-their mother had been killed, and the two seven year olds had been imbued with strange powers. As a result, the GPU took them into their custody after sealing the Vaglass' leader in Hyperspace, in order to train them to be part of a team to stop Psycho if he ever returned. Ever since then, the two had lived with Captain Shields, a high-ranking officer in the GPU, and they'd been pulled out of public school and taught by tutors at home ever since the move. Now, the Captain had finally relented and allowed them to go back to public school for the remainder of their Senior Year.

Getting out of bed, Colin quickly slipped out of his pajamas and changed into his usual outfit, which consisted of an unzipped purple hoody over-top of a green t-shirt with his initials "CV" written on it in purple lettering, which _itself_ was over-top of an un-tucked purple dress shirt with a matching bow-tie, as well as black cargo shorts and gray sneakers.

Stepping out into the hallway, he knocked on the bathroom door, prompting Colleen to open it and walk out, all dressed up and ready to go. She wore an opened green sweater over-top of a purple and green dress that stopped just above her mid-thighs, with an aqua tie. She also wore black yoga pants underneath the dress, as well as black knee-length boots that went over the pants.

"I'm so excited!" She chirped, as Colin stepped inside the bathroom, brushing his teeth and combing his hair. "Do you think Graham will be happy to see us?"  
"If he even remembers us," Colin replied, gurgling some mouth-wash before spitting it out in the sink. "It's been ten years, y'know."  
Frowning, Colleen said, "You have a point, but you don't have to be so negative all the time. You never know, he could recognize us. Do you think he even remembers what happened?"

"Probably not." Colin mused. "His Aunt wouldn't even let him train to be the Red Ranger, so she probably lied to him about the whole thing."

"That's true..." Colleen mumbled, her good mood having disappeared somewhat.

Patting her on the shoulder as he exited the bathroom, Colin said, "Don't worry about it sis, I'm sure it'll be fine. Even if he doesn't remember all the details, he'll probably wanna be friends with us again; he _is_ a pretty nice guy. Now c'mon, or you'll make us late."  
"You're one to talk," Colleen joked, following her brother down the hall and out of the apartment. The two then began their walk to school.

* * *

Graham awoke once more to the sound of his phone's alarm blaring loudly, alerting him that it was time for school. Reaching under his pillow, Graham procured his phone, tapping the screen to disable the alarm. He then sat up in bed and-after letting out a groan-he peeled the covers off of his body.

"I hate Mondays..." He muttered, reluctantly leaving his bed and walking over to his dresser. Opening up the drawers, he changed into his usual outfit, which consisted of a brown hoodie over-top of a plain white t-shirt, dark blue jeans with a black leather belt fastened through the belt-loops, and white and blue tennis-shoes. Hanging from his back pocket via a long metal chain that was connected to one of his front belt-loops was his wallet, which was red and green and represented Robin, his favorite superhero and one of his favorite comic book characters.

Walking into the half-bath on the other side of the room, Graham proceeded to perform his daily hygiene routine-brushing his teeth, using mouthwash, putting on deodorant, shaving, and applying acne wash. Lastly, he combed his hair, laying it down flat and parting it to the right, applying some hair gel and mixing it in once he was done. Looking it over once he was done, he ran his fingers through it in an attempt to make it look more natural.

Satisfied with the way it looked, he flipped off the bathroom light and walked back into the main bedroom, grabbing a red vinyl messenger bag off of the floor and slinging it over his shoulder. He then turned off his bedroom light, made his way out into the hall, and exited the house via the front door.

Walking down the sidewalk, he began the long trek to school, enjoying the fresh air as he did.

 _"I wish we had more trees and parks in the city..."_ Graham said to himself, letting out a sigh. While he appreciated the march of technology and the large digital growth the city had experienced in the last decade or so, he still wished that the city was a better mixture of urban environments and nature.

Continuing his walk, he eventually arrived at his school, Starview Heights High. Adjusting the strap of his messenger bag, Graham entered the school and made his way to the 12th grade hallway.

Approaching his locker, Graham grabbed ahold of the lock and entered his combination, causing it to click open.

Opening his locker, he removed his messenger bag from his shoulder. Opening it up, he removed the books he didn't need during the first few classes, depositing them inside the locker and replacing them with the ones he would need.

Making sure he was ready for the first few periods, Graham closed his locker and reset the lock, velcroing his messenger bag shut before heading to his homeroom class.

Taking a seat as he walked inside the classroom, Graham let out a yawn. Tapping his foot absentmindedly, he waited for the teacher to arrive, wanting homeroom and first period to be over as soon as possible.

More students began to file into the classroom as well. Some took their seats and immediately got out the homework they'd forgotten to do the previous night, while others went to other people's desks to chat and needlessly add to the loud and empty noise that filled the room, much to Graham's chagrin.

Eventually the teacher, Mrs. Englefeld, walked in, stopping behind her desk as the bell rang. Scoffing as she saw all the teenagers in the room talking and goofing off, she snapped her fingers, prompting them all to settle down and move to their proper seats.

A few carefree students remained where they were, attempting to finish their conversations with total disregard for the fact that the teacher had arrived, but they were quickly reprimanded by Mrs. Englefeld, who glared at them, saying, "Everyone to your seats. Now."

This time, every one of the students obeyed, causing Mrs. Englefeld to give them a twisted smile.

"Good." She said, pleased that everyone had now followed her command. Looking to the class as a whole, she continued, saying, "Welcome back everyone, I hope you had as crummy a weekend as I did. Alright, enough with the formalities, we have a few announcements to make. We have two new students today, and I'd like to introduce them."

Turning to the doorway, she motioned to two figures standing in the doorway, prompting them to step inside the classroom. Standing beside her desk, the two turned towards the class, looking nervous but generally excited.

"This is Colin and Colleen. They're twins, and they'll be joining us for the remainder of the year. Colin, Colleen, this is everyone. Feel free to take a seat in any empty desk you see for now, I'll find you assigned seats later."

Smiling, the two nodded, each one walking over to a different desk and sitting down. Glancing over at the two of them, Graham began to tap his chin whilst thinking to himself, That's w _eird...they look really familiar for some reason..._

* * *

After a morning that consisted of over an hour in hell with Mrs. Englefeld (Graham had the misfortune of having her for homeroom _and_ 1st Period Math), relatively pleasant 2nd and 3rd periods with Mr. Thompson for English and Mr. Summers for Literature, and then a somewhat stressful 4th period with Mr. Kingsley, who taught Biology (one of his least favorite subjects), Graham was finally free to head to the cafeteria for Lunch. Lunch had always been Graham's favorite part of the school day.

Why? Was it because of the food? Of course not, the food was awful, just like in every other school. You'd be an idiot for expecting anything different. Was it because of the socialization? Nope. Graham had very few friends, and the ones he _did_ have had lunch at different times, which made sitting with them literally impossible. So why was it his favorite time of the school day?

Simple. Because it allowed him to _breathe_ a little.

Getting in line and waiting patiently until he got to the front, Graham stood there as the lunch ladies distributed whatever brown slop they were calling food that day. (Apparently it was meatloaf...he figured he'd let them have that one.) Sliding his tray down the rack as they continued to fill it up with "food", he pulled out his Student ID Card and scanned it at the end of the line, paying for his meal before leaving the lunch line.

Carrying his tray with him as he walked outside, Graham walked until he found a secluded spot by the quad, where a large tree stood in the middle of a grassy area. Sitting right against the tree's trunk, he set his tray down, leaving for a moment and heading over to a nearby soda machine. There, he bought a bottle of his favorite soda, Mt. Dew.

Returning to the tree, he opened the soda and took a drink, after which he screwed the cap back on and looking down at his 'lunch'.

Seeing it bubble like some kind of weird, Japanese hot-spring from hell, Graham gulped, bowing his head and closing his eyes before speaking.

"Dear Lord Jesus, please tell me the meatloaf isn't alive. _Please._ Also, please help me to have a good rest of the day. In your name I pray, amen."

Looking up, Graham slowly reached for a fork and picked it up, using it to prod the meatloaf. Seeing that it didn't turn into John Carpenter's the Thing and try to assimilate him like he had initially predicted, he reluctantly cut a small piece off, lifted it to his mouth, and ate it. Surprisingly, it wasn't as awful as it looked. (Although he still wouldn't classify it as "good".)

Happy that the school had served him something at least somewhat edible for once, Graham pulled out his phone, plugged in his earbuds, and inserted them into his ears, losing himself in some music from his favorite band, Arrows to Athens.

Back in the cafeteria, Colin and Colleen searched for somewhere to sit, to no avail. There seemed to be no empty tables, and the ones that had spots open were occupied by rude students who refused to let two 'stupid new kids' sit with them.

"Man, I forgot how hard finding a seat during Lunch was..." Colin complained, turning to his twin. "This is ridiculous..."

"You've got that right," Colleen said in agreement, looking to the window. "We could always eat outside, though."

"Good point. Let's do that."

With that, Colleen walked towards the exit door, with Colin following closely behind. Together, the two opened the door and went outside, walking out into the quad.

Turning to the right, Colleen immediately saw Graham, who was sitting up against a tree, still eating his lunch. Lightly elbowing Colin, she gestured over to the boy, saying, "There's Graham. Do you think he'll let us sit with him?"

"I don't see why he wouldn't" Colin shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

The two then proceeded to walk towards Graham, who was totally oblivious to their presence. Speaking up, Colin said, "Hey there!"

Not getting a response right away, Colin became perplexed for a moment before noticing that Graham was wearing ear buds, a look of realization forming on his face. Reaching over, he tapped Graham on the shoulder, causing him to look up and remove his ear buds.

"Can I help you?" Graham asked awkwardly, causing Colin to chuckle.

"Yeah, you can, actually." Colin replied. "My sister and I are new, and there's no where else to sit. Do you mind if we eat here?"

"Not at all," Graham said, causing the other two to smile. "Go ahead."

Taking a seat, Colin looked to him and said, "Thanks, Graham."

"You know my name?" Graham asked in slight confusion. "How?"

"It's a long story. One you probably don't remember." Colleen told him, sitting down next to her brother. "We met ten years ago, at one of the parks downtown. You and your mom came here on vacation, and we asked if you wanted to play with us, remember? I'm Colleen, and this is my twin brother, Colin."

"Oh, now I remember!" Graham said, the memories instantly flooding back into his mind. "Wow, I can't believe you guys even remembered that. That was a long time ago."

"Yeah, it was." Colin chimed in, a smile on his face. "It's good to see you again, man."

"Same here." Graham replied, happy to have some friends to talk to for a change. "So, how've you been?"

"Pretty good. We live in an apartment not too far from here with Logan Shields."

"Logan Shields?" Graham asked, bewildered. "You live with Sonia Shields' dad?!"

"Yep." Colleen confirmed, a smile on her face. "You?"

"Oh, I live with my Aunt and Uncle." Graham told her. "My mom, uh...she died on the day we met, so I've lived here ever since."

Sensing the sadness in his tone, Colin said, "It's okay, man, we know how it feels. Our mom died shortly after we met, that's why we live with Capt-I mean, Mr. Shields."

Giving the boy a sympathetic smile, Colleen chimed in, saying, "It must've been pretty traumatic, huh? Seeing your mom die like that."

"What do you mean?" Graham questioned, furrowing his eyebrows. "I wasn't awake for any of it. I passed out while I was crossing the street and my mom pushed me out of the way of an incoming car. That's how she got hit."

"A car? That's how she-" Colleen began, before being cut off by Colin.

"I see." Colin said, giving his sister a silent glare before continuing. "Anyway, let's change the subject. You wanna do something after school? Colleen and I are free."

"Sure," Graham agreed, giving them a small smile. Moments later, the bell rang, signaling the end of Lunch Period. This prompted the three to stand up, grab their trays and begin gathering the rest of their things.

"Well, it was nice to see you again." Colin told him. "We'll see you after school."

"Yeah, see ya." Graham offered, holding up his free hand to awkwardly wave at them. This gained a giggle from Colleen.

"See ya, Graham." She echoed with a smile, before turning and following her brother back inside.

 _So his Aunt told him his mom died in a car crash, huh...?_ Colin though to himself, as he headed down the hall looking for he and Colleen's next class. _Interesting..._

* * *

Later that Day, in the Downtown District...

A security guard absentmindedly snored away at his desk, taking his job completely for granted as he slept at his post, not paying any attention to the cameras he was supposed to be monitoring.

Due to this, no one noticed when a strange, un-marked van somehow managed to bypass two security checkpoints, drive into the parking garage, and unload its passengers without ever communicating with any of the staff or showing any form of ID.

However, one of the three passengers tripped a silent alarm, which caused a small buzzing noise in the security guard's office that startled him awake. This allowed him to look on his monitor and see that things were not as they should be.

Examining the three unidentified, coverall-wearing intruders, the security guard fumbled around with his right hand, hurriedly reaching for his phone before raising it to his ear.

"Boss, we have a situation." He spoke into it. "Three unidentified intruders have entered the building."

"What do they look like? Give me the run down."

"They're all wearing coveralls...they look perfectly normal, but they slipped into the building without showing any form of ID, and their van drove by at least two security checkpoints according to my footage."

"Why didn't you report any of this before?"

"I uh...I fell asleep..."

"Why you!"

"Quiet, quiet! No time. They're getting something out of their van...some kind of strange equipment for...smuggling Enertron? That can't be legal for civilian use. I think they're here to steal the Enertron."

"Understood. I know just who to call."

* * *

Deep Underground, in a Top Secret Complex...

Captain Shields of the Global Protection Unit (GPU for short) impatiently tapped his foot as he waited for the industrial elevator he was in to reach its destination. The blaring of klaxons echoed all throughout the compound, accompanied by the flashing of red lights on all of the walls.

As the elevator went down, he examined some of the hallways on different floors he passed by, seeing several cadets running around, performing various tasks and rushing to their stations. This only served to ramp him up more and become even more impatient.

A few minutes later, the elevator finally reached the command floor. Waiting for him at the bottom was a GPU officer with Caucasian skin, jet black hair, and green eyes. He wore the standard GPU uniform-a dark blue jacket over-top of a dark blue tank-top, navy blue cargo pants, and black boots. To top it all off, on his chest he wore a GPU badge, as well as an insignia that identified his rank as Lieutenant. The surname "Woods" was messily sketched inside a box underneath the insignia.

Immediately saluting, the officer stood at attention, saying, "Lieutenant Woods reporting for duty, sir!"

"At ease," Captain Shields began with a chuckle. Looking the Lieutenant over, he asked, "I assume you read the file I sent you?"

"Yes, sir. I memorized every word."

"Good." Captain Shields remarked, putting away the pocket-watch he seemed to be fidgeting with. Patting the Lieutenant on the shoulder, he said, "Walk with me."

* * *

"This facility seems...dated." Lieutenant Woods mused as he followed Captain Shields down the hall, the two of them passing by several rooms full of outdated equipment and spotty wiring. "How old is this place, anyway?"

"Pretty old. The city first built it in the 50s, it was supposed to be a sort of underground bunker for civilians in case of nuclear war. After awhile, it just sat here gathering dust and the government decided to get some use of it, so they started sending soldiers here in-between tours of duty. Navy Seals, Black Ops, Marines. You name 'em, they've probably received some form of training here. Ten years ago it was shut down-officially, anyway. You know, kinda like we were."

Nodding his head, Lieutenant Woods said, "Yeah, I'm still a little fuzzy on the details actually, the file wasn't entirely concise regarding that. Why did we have to publicly shut down? And how in the world did we manage to hide the fact that we actually didn't?"

"It's called a cover-up, Lieutenant. Government agencies use them all the time." Captain Shields told him. "As for the reason behind the cover-up...I trust you read the part of the file where I briefly mentioned Project: Messiah?"

"Yes sir; I found it kind of intriguing. I mean from what I can gather from official records, it seemed to be going well, but then we up and pulled the plug with no explanation. Then we ended up 'shutting down' and going into hiding. What happened?"

"Do you remember the attacks ten years ago?"

"Of course I do, who could forget? It all happened so fast...and all three incidents happened on the same day, no less!"

"You'd be justified in believing those were malfunctioning drones, just like we had the public believe. You'd also be wrong. The truth is far more complicated...and _classified_. What I'm about to share with you can never be shared outside of this room. If you leak this information I'll have you transferred, stripped of your rank, and stuffed in some back room handling paper-work in the blink of an eye. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir. My lips are sealed."

"Good. Follow me."

With that, Captain Shields led him into a large room towards the back of the hallway. It resembled an old operations theater, with several desk-like stations set up. Each one was filled to the brim with high-tech computers and mechanisms, but one was clearly larger than the others, obviously meant for whoever was running this operation. On the wall facing the desks was a massive screen that took up the entirety of said wall, and displayed on it in bold, red letters were the words-"Classified: Eyes Only".

Turning to Lieutenant Woods, Captain Shields said, "What you're about to see is highly classified information. This footage has never been shown to anyone below the rank of Captain...until now, that is."

Turning his head towards another Lieutenant standing in the corner, he said, "Lieutenant, roll the film!". This prompted her to press a button on the computer console she was standing behind in order to change the image on-screen, displaying footage of the day Project: Messiah was shut down.

Several images quickly flashed on screen-people working on the project, several sweeping images of the city, and people laughing and playing at one of the city's local parks.

Confused, Lieutenant Woods turned to the Captain and asked, "Sir if you don't mind me asking, what exactly am I seeing?"

"You want the truth? Here it is, Lieutenant. Project: Messiah wasn't a failure. We succeeded in creating a sentient, self-thinking artificial intelligence unit capable of monitoring entire cities. Everything worked fine, it functioned as it was supposed to; it was perfect...perhaps a little too perfect. Soon after its completion, we decided to run a few tests...that was when it started. Rampancy. Messiah went rampant almost immediately after activation, for reasons I still don't understand to this day. Renaming itself Psycho, it began to hack into systems all over the city, using our factories to build itself an army of military robots, and once it was done, it launched a campaign to take over the entire world, starting with Starview Heights. It was chaos. The truth is, Lieutenant, those 'attacks' the public is so fond of mentioning whenever someone asks why we were shut down-the same 'attacks' they love to cite in order to mock us? The truth is, they mock us for them because they were our fault. Sometimes, there is such a thing as doing a job _too_ well."

Following this revelation, the footage changed to show Psycho launching his attacks, deploying his army of Vaglass robots on the city to wreak havoc on the civilians. Several people were killed right before their eyes, and dozens of others were paralyzed or otherwise injured.

Lieutenant Woods watched in horror, quickly finding himself mentally reliving the day the attacks happened. The truth was, no one in Starview Heights that was alive at the time these attacks had happened had ever been able to watch this footage without freezing in place for minutes at a time. Until now. Although he was shaken up at first, Lieutenant Woods eventually balled his right hand into a fist, a scowl forming on his face. He was angry.

"Luckily we were able to shut it down. It took us losing about half our Science Wing and the deaths of the entire Research and Development Team, but somehow we were able to lock it away in Hyperspace. To this day Psycho sits there, trapped in his digital prison. His army, on the other hand, stayed here-turned off, yes, but still active. And although we never thought it possible, one of the RnD workers _is_ still running around out there-or a program wearing his face, anyway."

With that, the image changed once again to show a picture of what appeared to be Enter, wearing a disguise as he entered into a public archive.

"This is Professor William Miles...it looks like him, anyway. The truth is, I _saw_ Miles die right in front of me. He had his data absorbed by one of those Vaglass things before being shot right through the head. Whatever this Psycho thing is that we created...it can create, too. Somehow, it's able to create digital constructs wearing the appearance of those its killed. The upper brass calls them 'Avatars'. This one seems to call itself 'Enter', and it's been stealing Enertron left and right. This can only mean one thing."

"And that is?"

"The Vaglass are back...And they're trying to gather enough Enertron to bring Psycho back from Hyperspace so he can enact his revenge."

"So...what are we going to do?" Lieutenant Woods asked, every fiber of his being currently dedicated to not breaking down in a cold sweat as he internally shivered with fear.

"Simple. During the attacks ten years ago, three young children were hit by energy blasts from Vaglass soldiers. They managed to live- _somehow_ -and after running tests on them, we determined that they'd developed some...side effects. Namely, they exhibited superhuman abilities."

Snapping his fingers, Captain Shields prompted the other Lieutenant to press a button once more, causing the screen to begin showing footage of a seven year old Colleen, who was jumping through an obstacle course with more agility than any other human had ever demonstrated.

"This is Colleen Voice." Captain Shields began. "Her ability is something we've dubbed 'Super-Agility'. Using her ability, she's able to jump up to insane heights that no other human can. We're talking a word-record jump height, here. She's also incredibly agile, and if she doesn't want you to catch her, you _won't_ _._ Simple as that."

Following this, the footage changed again to show a seven year old Colin as he jumped into a boxing ring with a loud 'thud', somehow managing to beat up a dozen or so GPU officers wearing combat armor with his bare fists. The strength he was exhibiting was beyond anything Woods had ever seen.

"This is her twin brother, Colin. His ability is pretty straightforward-you see it all the time in comics as 'Super-Strength'. Colin here is a real life example of it-the guy can punch through like, three brick walls and not break a sweat. He's able to hold his own in a fight with people up to three times his height and weight-and by some miracle, he's able to _win_ , too. Seriously, don't piss him off."

Finally, the third and final clip began to play, showing a seven year old Graham kneeling down at the starting line of an indoor track course. Looking up with a fiery determination in his eyes, Graham vaulted to his feet, running forward as fast as he could. Eventually, he became a red blur, speeding across the track within seconds and blowing the Lieutenant's mind even more than the other two clips had.

"This is Graham Ulry. His ability is perhaps the greatest one so far-he's fast. Incredibly fast, actually. He's probably the closest thing you'll ever see to a real life version of the Flash. By our calculations, he could run circles around Formula 1 race-cars, go around the entire track a few dozen times, _and_ grab some fast food before speeding back in five minutes time. His 'Super-Speed' is amazing. I've never seen anything like it."

"So...where do they fit in? Why are you showing me this?"

"That's easy. Because they're our _only_ shot at stopping the Vaglass." Captain Shields told him. "Those three are the only ones that have enough potential, both physically and mentally, to take on the Vaglass and actually _win_. They're our only hope of ending this war. You know those vehicles you helped develop over the course of the last ten years?"

"You mean the Zords?" Lieutenant Woods asked, to which the Captain nodded his head. "What about them?"

"Well, Lieutenant, it's really quite simple." Captain Shields replied. "Those kids? They're gonna pilot them."

"What the-?! Are you out of your mind?! If full-blown GPU soldiers can't take these things head on, what makes you think a bunch of seventeen year olds can?!"

"Lieutenant, let me level with you. This whole project? It's the entire reason the GPU didn't just lie down and take what the public gave us. This is the _entire_ reason we lied about shutting down. I've spent ten years preparing for this day. Ten years of careful engineering, planning, and now, it's about to be executed within a few hours. Using the technology that we've developed for them, those three will lead us towards the future. They shall become...Power Rangers."

His eyes wide open with awe, Lieutenant Woods said, "I...wow. This is huge...you can't actually think these kids will _willingly_ do this. And even if they were crazy enough to...what about their parents?"

"They have no parents. All three of them lost their mothers during the attacks. As for their fathers, Graham's abandoned him when he was an infant, and Colin and Colleen's died before they were born. For the past ten years, I've raised the twins as my own. I've taught them, trained them, and nurtured them. They're ready. I know they are."

"And Graham?"

"I have no doubt in my mind that Graham is ready." Captain Shields told him. "That's why he's going to be their leader. There's just one small problem, though..."

"And that is?"

"His Aunt is...little overprotective. When I asked if I could train him ten years ago, she slapped me for even daring to ask. And who could blame her? I mean, there I was asking her to give up her nephew, on the exact same day she had just lost her little sister. How could I even ask something like that?"

"Because you had to." Lieutenant Woods said quietly.

"Exactly." Captain Shields echoed, his voice nothing more than a whisper. "When you have a job like mine, you don't always get a say when it comes to the harder decisions. Sometimes the situation dictates our actions. All we can do is make the best of a bad hand, and make the right play in order to come out on top."

Out of nowhere, an alarm began to blare, ringing throughout the entire base. Coming in on the intercom, a GPU cadet said, "Captain, we've received word of a break-in at an Enertron Storage Facility downtown. Enter is attempting to steal the Enertron!"

"It's time..." Captain Shields said to himself, turning to Lieutenant Woods. "Lieutenant, since you designed the Zords, you're the only person who truly understands how they work and how to operate them. It's for that exact reason that I chose you for this op. So do what you do best, Martin. Monitor those Zords."

"Yes, sir!" Lieutenant Woods said with a salute, running to his post without a moment's hesitation.

Glancing over towards the Lieutenant that had operated the video-screen, Captain Shields said, "Lieutenant Rose, you'll be working with Woods to monitor incoming transfers from Hyperspace. I don't want anything getting in or out of that place."

"Yes sir!" The Lieutenant shouted, rushing over to her own post directly next to where Woods was sitting. Her brown eyes were full of determination as she ran a hand through her shoulder-length platinum blonde hair with light pink streaks, manning the console in front of her immediately.

Looking a little nervous, Woods turned to her and stretched out his right hand, saying, "It's nice to be working with you, Lieutenant Rose."

"I may not seem like I share your enthusiasm, Lieutenant, but trust me, I am indeed happy to be working alongside you. Your record is quite impressive. But I have a job to do, so I don't exactly have the time to indulge in small talk. I'm sure you understand."

"Yeah..." Lieutenant Woods groaned, turning back to his station. He could already tell that this Lieutenant Rose was a tough nut to crack. Looking up at the Captain, he said, "And what will you be doing, sir?"

"Easy." Captain Shields replied, grabbing a set of car keys off of his desk as he headed out of the room. "I'm going to pick up our Rangers."

* * *

Back at Starview Heights High School, Graham tapped his foot rapidly on the floor, as he waited for final period to end. He had just reconnected with two old friends, and he was very eager to hang out with them.

With his gaze centered on the old analog clock mounted on the wall, Graham began to grow impatient. He soon found himself silently willing the hands to go faster.

After what seemed like an eternity, the bell finally rang, and Graham was finally free to leave. Practically leaping out of his seat, the boy gathered up his things before gliding out of the classroom, heading for his locker in order to sort through his books.

Picking out the ones he'd need for homework and leaving behind the ones he didn't need, Graham closed his locker and locked it back up, walking away and heading towards the exit.

Along the way, he passed Colin and Colleen, who began to follow alongside him, both greeting him as they did.

"Sup?" Colin asked in a casual tone.

"Hi, Graham!" Colleen chirped, sounding very enthusiastic. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Pretty awful." Graham replied, letting out a light laugh. "You guys ready to go hang out?"

"Yep." The twins agreed in unison, nodding their heads in confirmation.

With that, the three headed outside and began to leave the school-grounds, headed for the city in order to hang out somewhere.

However, before they could get anywhere, the three were cut off by a sleek, jet black car with tinted windows, which screeched as it skidded to a halt in front of them.

Hearing a small whirring noise, the teens looked to the driver's seat window, seeing it roll all the way down to reveal Captain Shields. Looking to Colin and Colleen, he coughed into his elbow a bit before speaking up.

"Colin, Colleen, there's been a bit of an emergency." He said, pausing for a moment afterwards. Noticing that Graham was with them, he said, "Oh, good, you guys have Graham with you. That saves me the trouble of having to find him myself."

Looking a little confused, Graham turned to the twins, saying, "What's going on...?"

"It's...a long story." Captain Shields said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll explain later, but you'd better come with me."

* * *

After getting in the back seat of the car, the three teens all sat in silence as Captain Shields drove through the city, heading towards a location that was currently unknown to Graham. Eventually, they reached what appeared to be an abandoned mall downtown, with an equally empty parking garage sitting next to it.

Turning into the parking garage, Captain Shields parked the car in the first spot he saw. Getting out of the car, he walked to the back and opened up the back door, prompting Graham to look up at him in slight skepticism.

"C'mon, follow me." He told the three teens, prompting Graham to reluctantly get out of the car and follow him. The twins weren't too far behind.

"Can you at least explain where you're taking us?" Graham asked, sounding a bit annoyed. "Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Captain Logan Shields. I work for the Global Protection Unit, or 'GPU' for short. We're an organization dedicated to-"

"Protecting the planet, yeah, I've heard of you." Graham said, cutting him off. "Still, I thought you guys shut down ten years ago after the cancellation of Project: Messiah."

"That's what we had the public believe." Captain Shields told him. "The truth is, only about two thirds of the GPU actually shut down. A tiny fraction of the organization stayed open in secret, working to protect the city from an unseen threat."

Continuing to walk, Captain Shields led the three inside the mall. Guiding them to an old, worn-down photo booth, he opened the curtain, saying, "After you,"

Nodding their heads, Colin and Colleen stepped up first, going into the photo booth one at a time. As soon as Colin's feet made contact with the photo booth, he teleported away, same with Colleen after him.

Looking dazed, Graham said, "What there-where did they...?"

"You'll see." Captain Shields told him, lightly shoving the boy into the photo booth and causing him to be teleported as well.

* * *

As the three warped away from the photo-booth, they felt a rush of wind blow past them as they were swept up in golden lights of energy. Moments later, the lights began to die down, and the windy sensation disappeared as they emerged on the other side of the teleporter, which was inside the Command Center inside the secret GPU base. On the loudspeaker, a computerized voice confirmed their arrival.

"Recognized: Colin, B-04."

"Recognized: Colleen, B-05."

"Processing...Recognized: Graham, B-06."

"What the...where the heck are we?" Graham asked, rubbing his head in slight confusion.

"This is the GPU's secret underground base." Colin explained. "This is where all of our top secret operations are launched. We also monitor the entire city from this location."

"Woah..." Graham said in awe, looking around the room as Captain Shields warped in behind them.

"Recognized: CPT. Shields, B-01." The computerized voice said, confirming the Captain's arrival.

"Alright, we're here." Captain Shields said, walking into the room and grabbing a remote off of his desk. Turning to the twins, he said, "Colin, Colleen, you two already know what's going on, so I won't go through the formality of explaining to you. Graham, you're not quite up to speed, so I'll clue you in. Ten years ago. November 2nd, 2006. What all happened on that day?"

"My mom and I went to the park. I met Colin and Colleen, we played together, I left, and my mom and I walked home. I passed out from exhaustion in the middle of the street, I almost got hit by a car, but at the last moment, mom pushed me out of the way and got hit, instead, so I could live. Then she...died."

Taking a deep breath, Captain Shields said, "It's just as I thought...this is gonna be as hard as I imagined. Graham, the truth is, only part of that is true. Everything leading up to your mom's death is true, but everything afterwards is false. Your mom didn't get ran over with a car."

"Then why do I remember it that way...?" Graham questioned, his voice having a slight hint of anger in it.

"Because...I implanted false memories in you to make you believe she did." Captain Shields revealed. "The truth is, on that day, the same day Project: Messiah launched, Messiah went rampant. Renaming itself Psycho, it hacked into systems all across the city, building an army of robots in order to take over the world. It launched a massive campaign against us, starting with Starview Heights. The park you were playing at...was one of the first locations targeted. You three were targeted by the Vaglass...but your mothers selflessly took your places. Your mothers sacrificed themselves so you three could live. Then, we managed to lock Psycho away in Hyperspace However, afterwards, you three were hit with energy blasts, anyway. Instead of dying, you somehow managed to develop special powers. Colin has the ability of Superstrength, Colleen possesses Superagility, and Graham, you possess what is perhaps the greatest ability, the gift of Superspeed."

"No way..." Graham murmured, in total disbelief. "Prove it."

"Gladly." Captain Shields told him, looking to the twins before nodding.

Nodding back, Colin and Colleen turned to face each other, Colin balling his hands into fists.

Throwing a punch towards Colleen, his fist became encased in an aura of blue energy, making it travel twice as fast and the impact twice as hard. Seeing the fist barrel towards her, Colleen jumped into the air in order to dodge, resulting in her vaulting all the way into the ceiling, landing in the rafters above before gliding back down.

Turning towards Graham, Colin swung a punch his way, causing Graham to react instinctively, super-speeding to the right as soon as possible.

Breathing heavily as he doubled over, Graham looked at his arms, saying, "This...this can't be real."

"It is." Captain Shields assured him, patting the boy on the shoulder.

"Then...why did you implant the false memories in me?" Graham asked. "How could you lie to me like that?"

"It was because...of your Aunt." Captain Shield explained. "You see, although Psycho is locked up in Hyperspace, remnants of his Vaglass army remain on Earth, operating in the shadows. Day and night, they work to steal our city's greatest energy source, Enertron, in the hopes of gathering enough to free their leader from his digital prison. In order to prevent them from doing so, we began a project ten years ago in the hopes of forming a team capable of fighting the Vaglass. Because of your abilities, you three are the only ones capable of being on this team. However, your Aunt was not willing to allow you to do so. Therefore, at her request, we implanted you with false memories in order to keep you safe."

"I...can't believe this..." Graham mumbled to himself, balling his right hand into a fist. "I can't believe Aunt Tammy would lie to me like that..."

"You can't be mad at her." Captain Shields told him. "She did it for your protection. Everything your Aunt has ever done...it's always been in your best interest. However...it isn't right to keep you hidden away like that. On that day, Graham...your destiny changed. Now, fate is waiting for you to make your move. Will you answer the call?"

With that, he turned and walked back to his desk, procuring a medium-sized black case. Turning back around, he walked up to the three teens, opening the case to reveal three sleak wrist-braces.

The braces were cast in black, and had silver and blue paint to accent some areas of them.

On top of each brace was a circular dial. The dial had four small sections divided by painted black lines-the left and right sections were painted silver, while the top and bottom sections were painted blue.

To the left of the dial, there was a large tray-like section that held a clear orange piece in the shape of a pair of sunglasses. Finally, on the front of the device to the right of the dial, there was a circular blue button.

"These are your Morphin' Braces." Captain Shields told them. "These will allow you to amplify your special abilities, and morph into the Spy-Buster Power Rangers. Colin, Colleen, you've trained for ten years to reach this moment. It's finally time for you two to accept your destiny, and become Rangers like I always knew you would."

Handing Colin his Morphin' Brace, Captain Shields said, "Colin, your strength is unmatched, and no one can best you in a fist-fight. You fight ferociously to reach your goals, and you use your strength to protect the things you love and wish to keep safe. Using the strength of a mighty gorilla, you shall become the Blue Power Ranger."

Turning to Colleen and giving the girl her own Morphin' Brace, Captain Shields said, "Colleen, you're the most agile human being on planet Earth. If you don't want to be caught, you simply won't be caught. You hop and jump your way through your battles, using the element of surprise and mobility to your advantage as you strike down your foes. By harnessing the agility of the nimble rabbit, you shall become the Yellow Power Ranger."

Lastly, he turned to Graham, holding out the final Morphin' Brace in his direction.

"Graham...I'm sorry that we lied to you. Your Aunt refused to let you be a ranger back then, and she threatened to expose us is we didn't implant the false memories inside of you. She wanted you to be safe. I wanted you to be safe, too. However, you're the only one that can do this. Your ability makes you special, Graham. You're meant for more. I always intended to tell you the truth one day, and allow you to make that choice for yourself. However, I never expected to be doing it so soon. Graham...I wish I could've had time to train you. To mold you into the soldier I know you can be. But in the end...I believe that this makes you different from the others. You may not have any sort of formal training, but you have the heart and soul of a true hero, and your ability is more than enough to carry you through this. Graham, burning inside of you is the blazing heart of a leader, I can just feel it. Please, will you take the speed of the prowling cheetah, and use it to become the Red Ranger, in order to lead this team to victory?"

"I...I'm sorry. This is a lot to take in. I...I don't know if I can do this..."

"That's okay." Captain Shields said, patting him on the shoulder. "You can stay here until the mission is over. Afterwards, I'll take you home and you can forget this ever happened. As for Colin and Colleen, I'm sure they can handle the mission."

"Alright..." Graham sighed, a twinge of guilt in his stomach.

Looking to the boy, Colleen frowned in disappointment, before Colin patted her on the shoulder, saying, "C'mon, sis, we have a job to do."

Hearing this, Colleen reluctantly listened, turning and following her brother back into the teleporter, heading for the site of the current attack. This left Graham all by himself, as Captain Shields headed for his post.

* * *

"Almost there, and...done." Enter said to himself as he unplugged an Enertron Storage Tank from the wall-socket it had been connected to, having finished extracting the Enertron from the building. Turning to his two companions, he said, "Alright, on to Stage 2."

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Colin hollered, as he and Colleen rushed into the room, their Morphin' Braces on their left arms.

"Ah, Spy-Busters. I was wondering when you'd show up." Enter said, a twisted smile on his face. "It's so good to see you."

"Wish we could say the same, Enter," Colin said sarcastically, narrowing his eyes. "Now, hand over that Enertron, or we'll be forced to destroy you."

Letting out a laugh, Enter said, "Yeah, right, like I'd ever hand over the Enertron. Listen, young man, you're going to have to learn to be more patient. After all, how can you ever hope to fight me, if you haven't disposed of my minions?"

"They don't look so tough." Colleen said, prompting the two figures to cast off their cover-alls, revealing their true identities as purple and silver robots.

Upon seeing them, Colin and Colleen immediately growled-they were Buglars, the robotic footsoldiers of the Vaglass army that had killed their mother ten years ago!

"Well, dear, you can't always judge a book by its cover," Enter said with a grin, gripping the Enertron container tightly. Waving to the teens, he said, "Adieu, Spy-Busters.~"

With that, he turned and jumped out the nearest window, causing Colin and Colleen to rush over and gasp as they saw him fade away into a stream of data, preventing him from falling to his death.

Clenching his fist, Colin said, "Dammit, he got away!"

Turning to her twin, Colleen said, "I think we have more important things to worry about, Colin."

This prompted Colin to turn his head, seeing the two Buglars closing in on them. On top of that, several more were warping in out of thin air, gripping silver katar-esque weapons as they took a fighting stance.

"Now would be a really good time to morph..." Colleen mumbled, as the Buglars began to surround them.

"Y'think?" Colin asked sarcastically, looking to his sister. "Follow my lead!"

Lifting up their arms, the two brandished their morphers, turning the dials counter-clockwise. Turning their arms so that they reached across their chests, they each pressed the button on the side of their Morphin' Brace, causing the orange piece resembling a pair of sunglasses to rise up out of its tray and rest in front of their faces.

"Install: Spy-Busters!" They shouted, initiating their transformation.

 **~Morphing Sequence~**

Colin and Colleen are standing in a blank white space, with their left arms still in front of their chests and their right arms stretched outward, pointing behind them.

On each of their Morphin' Brace's respective screens, a wall of green binary code can be seen scrolling down, with a certain sequence of numbers highlighted in their respective colors-blue for Colin, yellow for Colleen. With a electronic clicking noise, the screen zooms in on those numbers and the numbers begin to flash, causing the 1s and 0s of binary code to burst out and attach themselves to their bodies, forming their suits.

Leaping into the air, the two look upward, as energy incarnations of a gorilla and a rabbit fly towards their heads, forming their helmets.

The transformation is now complete.

 **~End Morphing Sequence~**

Now morphed, Colin and Colleen examined themselves, in awe of what they had become. Their Ranger Suits were made from leather, not spandex, contrary to most other Power Rangers suits.

They both had a shirt in their respective ranger color with the sides of the shirt being colored a bright silver. Both shirts had a black line going down the middle, resembling a zipper, almost, and they each wore two black straps on their shoulders, the one on their left shoulders holding a black radio-esque device with the GPU logo on it. Holding the shirts in place was a silver belt-buckle with the exact same logo on it, with black belt-straps going all the way around. Their arms were both in their respective colors, with black cuffs around their wrists. The left of which had their Morphin' Braces connected to them.

On their legs, they wore black pants, with Colleen's shirt extended somewhat to form a makeshift skirt overtop of the pants. Both pairs of pants led into a pair of boots, which were both in their respective colors.

Finally, their helmets were each in their respective colors, and were themed after their respective animals-Colin's was themed after a gorilla, while Colleen's was themed after a rabbit. The front of the helmets were split into three parts, a top part depicting their respective animals, a middle part with sunglass-esque visors in their respective colors, and a bottom part at their mouths colored in flat silver.

Both teens smiled inside their helmets as they realized what they had become-they were Power Rangers!

"Jungle Warrior!" Colin began, bumping his right fist against his right shoulder before thrusting it outward. "Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper!" Colleen called out, gripping her shoulder-straps with her hands before letting go of them, almost as if she were stretching them out like they were elastic. "Buster Yellow!"

"Let's do this!" Colin hollered, rushing towards the Buglars before pressing the radio on the shoulder, materializing a camera-esque device. Transforming it into a gun with the lens forming the barrel, he named it, saying, "Spy-Blaster!"

Watching Colin as he fired on the Buglars, destroying some of them and injuring the others, Colleen followed his lead, materializing what appeared to be a pair of binoculars before unfolding them into a short-sword esque weapon.

Back-handing the weapon, Colleen charged towards the enemy, shouting, "Spy-Saber!" as she struck her foes.

"These Buglars are no match for my firepower!" Colin boasted, firing at two Buglars to take them out before ducking to avoid a swing from another, shooting it point-blank in the chest.

Letting out a laugh as she jumped around, slashing the Buglars, Colleen said, "That's nothing! When compared to my Spy-Saber, these tin cans don't even measure up."

Eventually, they cleared the room, leaving them all alone. Pressing a button on his radio, Colin said, "Captain Shields, this is Colin. We found Enter, but he escaped with the Enertron. Can you track his position?"

"Colin, this is Captain Shields. Lieutenant Rose is already on it. Enter is currently wandering around a nearby construction site. Do you copy?"

"Yes sir!" Colleen said, as she and her brother rushed down the stairs in order to exit the building. "We're moving to intercept!"

"Roger that," Captain Shields said with a smirk, looking behind him in time to see Graham frown somewhat. "Keep up the good work."

Looking up at the monitor, Graham watched Colin and Colleen in their pursuit of Enter, a feeling of anxiety rising up within him. Should he have gone out with them? Was he even cut out for this? He didn't know. Part of him wanted to help, but part of him didn't know if he could.

Watching the boy's inner turmoil from his post, Captain Shields thought to himself, _He can do it. I know he can..._

 **~To Be Continued...~**

* * *

 **A/N:** And thus ends part one. Yes, I'm splitting up the pilot into two parts. I didn't originally want to do that, but this chapter's already like 11,000 words or so, so I think I need to stop now or no one will ever finish it. I can assure you that episodes in this new series will be long, but not _this_ long. Anyway, for now, please review, and make sure to follow/favorite so you can be on the look out for part two. I really hate that I have to split it up...


	2. Ep 2: Destinies Fulfilled, Part 2

**A/N:** We now returned to your regularly scheduled broadcast! Lol. Like I said last time, I really wasn't planning on making this season opener a two-parter, but sometimes you have to choose between having one episode that's like, 15,000 words long, or splitting that one episode into two reasonably sized chunks so you don't overload your readers' brains. With that said, I chose the latter option for obvious reasons.

This second part may be a lot shorter than the previous one by comparison, so I apologize in advance. I would've just waited until I had both parts done so I could split them more evenly, but the only natural stopping point for the first point I could think of was at about 12,000 words, so that's where I decided to split it. I'm not the best at making these decisions, hence why I don't usually like to make season openers two-parters.

So, without further ado, here's the rest of what I _would've_ had in episode one if it hadn't gotten to be too long already. Don't worry, folks, unlike Samurai's two-part season opener, this episode is actually _related_ to the events of the previous one. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

Back in the GPU Command Room...

Graham sat in his seat with his eyes transfixed on the monitor on the opposite wall, completely unable to look away as he watched Colin and Colleen bravely fight their way through a small group of Buglars.

His eyes wide open in total awe of their courage, the boy began to feel that same twinge of guilt play at his stomach, accompanied by an overwhelming feeling that he should've gone out there with them-that if they could do it, so could he.

However, that wasn't the only thing plaguing his mind. Though he had a nagging thought that he should've gone with them, he couldn't deny that fear was still in the driver's seat, for the most part. I mean, sure, he had powers, as he'd just learned earlier, but frankly, he was a little afraid of them due to them being such a recent discovery. (For him, at least. He'd been pretty annoyed to learn that everyone else knew he was a speedster years before he did.)

Could they even be of much use anyway? He had no idea how to use them. Dodging Colin's punch had been nothing more than instinct. Right? It was basic science, wasn't it? Anyone in danger of being punched would, naturally, try and dodge said punch, unless they were, A. an idiot, or B. didn't see it coming.

As the boy sat in continuous inner conflict, a whirring sound could be heard from the doorway. Peeking its head in, a strange humanoid robot themed after a cheetah laid its eyes on Graham, letting out a small sigh.

"As long as that boy lets fear drive him...he'll never accomplish anything." The robot said to himself, shaking his head.

* * *

Meanwhile, Enter had escaped to a construction site near the building he'd stolen the Enertron from. Since his arrival, he had knocked all of the construction workers in the area unconscious, thus ensuring he would be uninterrupted in what he was doing.

Setting down the Enertron Storage Tank he was carrying, Enter pulled out a small laptop and set it on top of a waist-high concrete slab. Plugging the Enertron Storage Tank into the laptop via a long, translucent USB cable, he reached into his pocket and procured a small metal card, about the size of a credit card.

"Time to get started..." He said to himself, scanning the card in a scanner on the side of the laptop.

This caused the image on-screen to change, displaying a neon green screen with red text reading, 'Installation in Progress'. Enter smirked as the loading bar filled up all the way, signaling the end of the waiting process.

Reaching down and removing the card from the scanner, Enter held it in his hand, saying, "Virus...Install." before sticking it onto the side of a nearby forklift, causing the card to attach itself to said forklift via tiny little wires. The forklift began to glow with white energy as it absorbed the data from the card, the virus installing itself into the ordinary object and turning it into something new-a humanoid robot with a shovel-arm and a chest formed by the cockpit of the forklift.

This was what Enter had been sent to do-to create a Metaloid and unleash it on the city. He'd now succeeded.

"Salutations, Shovelloid." Enter greeted in his French accent, giving the newly born robot a twisted smile.

"How may I assist you today, Enter?" Shovelloid asked with a slight bow.

"Go into the city and wreak some havoc. I need you to distract the Power Rangers while I prepare for an incoming transfer. Master Psycho demands that we do not fail."

"I understand. It shall be done."

With that, Shovelloid turned and scampered off, seeking to do exactly what he'd been told. Watching him leave, Enter let out an evil laugh before leaving himself, warping away in a spark of light. His master's plans were coming to fruition...

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,** _

**_Like it was the least that we could ever do.~_**

 ** _(*Shots of Graham, Colin, and Colleen flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, and Colleen is riding a bike. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)_**

 ** _~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,_**

 ** _Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~_**

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 ** _~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,_**

 ** _So load your gun, a war is coming!~_**

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist, as Colin and Colleen follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, the other two quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the three spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 ** _~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,_**

 ** _(Oh oh, oh oh)~_**

 ** _(*A shot of Graham, Colin, and Colleen each piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot piloted by a Metaloid is shown. Gripping the controls, the three each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)_**

 ** _~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, y_** ** _eah, we can face the firing squad!_**

 ** _(Oh oh, oh oh)~_**

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show**_ _ **Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing side by side, all three of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the three instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, the three rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 2: Destinies Fulfilled, Part 2**

Slowly but surely, Colin and Colleen made their way towards the construction site, scanning the area for targets with their Spy-Blasters in hand. Colin took point while Colleen watched for any movement behind them.

Looking around, the two didn't see a single trace of Enter, worrying them slightly. Stopping in his tracks, Colin signaled for his sister to stay still for a moment as he pressed a button on his Transpod, contacting Captain Shields.

"Captain Shields, this is Colin. I'm not seeing a single trace of Enter. Can you pinpoint his location?"

Coming back on the radio, Captain Shields replied, "Sorry, Colin, I've got nothing. Enter isn't showing up anywhere on our radar."

All of a sudden, the twins heard the panicked shouts of civilians nearby. Looking up in confusion, Colleen saw Shovelloid in the distance, marching through a local plaza with a small battalion of Buglars in tow.

"Colin, we've got trouble." She told her twin, nodding her head towards the scene.

"You've got that right. Captain Shields, we have confirmation of a Metaloid attack! I repeat, Enter has mobilized a Metaloid and unleashed it downtown!"

* * *

"What's a Metaloid?" Graham asked as he stood up from his seat, a look of general unease on his face.

"A Metaloid is an object that has been infected with a Metavirus, malicious software created by Psycho with the intent of creating evil robots to lead the Buglars into battle." Captain Shields explained. "We've had several reports from GPU spooks that they exist, but we've never gotten good visual representation of one. We've also never seen them attack civilians. I read you loud and clear, Colin. Proceed with extreme caution."

* * *

"Roger that." Colin said, turning back to his twin. "C'mon, Colleen, we've gotta stop it before it hurts someone!"

"Lead the way, bro." Colleen replied, following her brother as he broke out into a run.

Inside the plaza, Shovelloid had cornered a civilian woman and was now targeting her, lifting up his shovel-arm with every intent to strike her with it. However, before he could, he was cut off by a blast of energy, which sparked off his shoulder with an electric 'zap' sound.

"Who dares interrupt my work?!" Shovelloid demanded, turning around to see where the attack had come from. Seeing that he was distracted, the woman struggled to her feet and scurried away, letting out a scared yell as she did.

"I do," Colin said casually, holding his Spy-Blaster out in his direction. Holstering the weapon, he held out his arms, saying, "The name's Buster Blue. My pal in the yellow's my sister, Buster-you guessed it-Yellow."

"Nice introduction, Colin." Colleen said sarcastically, holding up her Spy-Blaster with both hands.

"Hey, sarcasm's my thing, remember?"

"I see...you must be those Power Punks Enter told me about!"

"Actually, the correct term is 'Power _Rangers'_." Colleen corrected, her hands on her hips. "Either way, we're taking you down-right here, right now."

"We'll see about that." Shovelloid retorted, raising his arm to signal his minions. "Buglars, attack!"

Following his command, the Buglars rushed forth, their weapons raised as they prepared to strike the two Rangers. Readying their weapons, Colin and Colleen sprung into action, but not without complaints.

"These guys _again_?" Colin whined, blocking a strike from one Buglar and using his Spy-Saber to hold it back. Shoving it away, the Blue Ranger knelt down to the ground and vaulted up, delivering a round-house kick to the robot's face in order to destroy it.

Back-flipping to avoid a swing from another Buglar, Colleen landed on her feet and brandished her Spy-Blaster, aiming it at her opponents as they closed in on her.

"They're definitely becoming a bit of a pain..." She echoed, resting on one knee as she took out Buglars left and right.

Letting out a hearty laugh, Shovelloid said, "What, can't handle my Buglars?"

"We never said that, tin can!" Colin hollered, performing a spinning slash that took out all of the Buglars surrounding him.

"They're more of an annoyance than an obstacle, really." Colleen echoed, standing up and gunning down the footsoldiers left and right, taking the remainder of them out.

* * *

"Wow! They're unstoppable!" Lieutenant Woods said, watching their fight on the monitor in front of him. "Their fighting prowess...it's unbelieavable!"

"Yeah, it is..." Graham said somberly, getting up and leaving the room quietly.

Turning his head to see him leave, the Lieutenant asked, "Where's he going...?"

* * *

Letting out a sad sigh, Graham walked down the empty corridor, trying to clear his thoughts. He was about to go find a room to pout in when he heard a mechanical whirring noise behind him, almost sounding like a robot walking. Turning around, he saw a red, cheetah themed robot standing there, its hands on its hips.

Tilting his head, the robot said, "Graham Patrick Joseph Ulry, where exactly do you think you're going?"

Recognizing the robot almost instantly, Graham asked, "Nick?"

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

 _"Why hello there." Cheetah Nick said to a seven year old Graham, who had his head in his lap, bawling his eyes out over the loss of his mother. This had been before the memory-alteration had been performed on the boy. "Is something wrong?"_

 _"What do you mean, 'Is something wrong'?" Graham sniveled, looking up at the robot with grief in his eyes. "My mom's dead now! What do you think?"_

 _"I know...I'm sorry about that." Cheetah Nick said, kneeling down so he could look Graham in the eyes. "It must be really hard for you. I have no idea; I've never lost a loved one..."_

 _Taking a deep breath, Graham said, "It's okay. It's not your fault. I just miss her so much..."_

 _"I know. I know." The robot replied, rubbing Graham's shoulder in an attempt to sooth the boy. "Hey, listen, I know you're sad, but I'm here for you. I'm gonna be your Buddy-Roid from now on, okay?"_

 _"Buddy...Roid?" Graham asked, confused. "What's that?"_

 _"It's quite simple, really. I'm a Buddy-Roid, a robot designed to be your friend. The other Buddy-Roids and I were invented by Sergeant Shields. We're designed to comfort those in mourning, help those who are sick, and be there for people who don't have many friends. I've been assigned to be your Buddyroid."_

 _"That's nice..." Graham said, sniffling a little as he wiped the tears out of his eyes. Holding out his hand for the robot to shake, he said, "My name's Graham. It's nice to meet you."_

 _"It's nice to meet you too, Graham." The robot responded, shaking the boy's hand gently. "I'm Cheetah Nick. And I'll always be there for you."_

 _"Promise?"_

 _"Promise."_

 _Hearing this, Graham jumped out of his seat and dived towards Cheetah Nick, giving him a gigantic hug._

 _Almost immediately, Cheetah Nick hugged back, patting the boy on the head as he consoled him._

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"Good. You remember me. That makes things much easier." Cheetah Nick said, walking up to the boy before continuing. "Graham, we may have only met that one time, but I'm programmed to monitor your emotions. I know when something's up with you."

"I'm that transparent, huh...?"

"Transparent? Graham, you were wandering the halls, looking for a place to pout."

"No I wasn't..." Graham denied, crossing his arms out of embarrassment.

Hearing this, Nick let out a chuckle, which caused Graham to join him in laughter despite himself. Once they were done laughing, he looked at the boy, saying, "What's on your mind, Graham? You can tell me."

Walking over to the nearest wall and sliding down into a sitting position on the floor, Graham sighed, saying, "It's...this whole Ranger deal. It changes everything. I mean, first things first, I was lied to."

"I clearly recall that the memory-alteration was done in order to keep you safe. You shouldn't be mad at your Aunt."

"I'm not mad at her, Nick. I'm just disappointed." Graham replied, crossing his arms. "I mean, I'm not a kid, anymore. I haven't been a kid since I was like, fifteen. I just wish she would've told me the truth..."

"I'm sure she regrets not telling you." Nick told him. "That being said, she did what she thought was best. Try and put yourself in her shoes-she lost her younger sister that day. You're her nephew-her younger sister's eldest son. You're all your Aunt has left of your mother, and the bond they shared as sisters. Do you think she'd just let you go off and get killed without a say so?"

"I guess you're right..." Graham mumbled, changing the subject. "But it's not like that's all. I mean, I have this ability, I'm destined to fight and stuff, but I'm not ready. I mean, Colin and Colleen got ten whole years to train to be Rangers. I only got one day ten years ago, and I don't even remember it because as soon as Aunt Tammy found out, she had them mind-wipe me."

"I get it now. You're scared." Cheetah Nick concluded. "Scared of dying."

"I'm not scared of dying, Nick." Graham replied, looking at the robot with a serious look in his eyes. "I'm scared of letting everyone down. You heard Captain Shields in there. He wants me to be the _leader_. How could I ever be a leader? I can't fight, I have no formal training, I don't know how to use my power properly, and on top of that, I'm too shy to be a leader! I can't just tell people what to do. It feels weird!"

"I know you have your doubts, but the Captain has his reasons. You wanna hear what he told us?"

His interest now piqued, Graham nodded, prompting Cheetah Nick to continue.

"He said...it's because of your heart." Cheetah Nick told him. "When he first picked you three up from the hospital and took you to this base, he had a one-on-one conversation with each of you to get a feel for your personalities. While talking to Colleen, he discovered that she was strong, brash, and somewhat reckless. Talking to Colin, he discovered he was swift, cunning, and had a bit of a bite behind his bark. When he talked to you, he saw that you had a big heart. A heart filled with one wish: to protect everyone in the world, so that-"

"-No one will ever cry again..." Graham finished, remembering the exact words he had said. "That's what made him choose me?"

"That's right." Nick confirmed with a nod. "And you know what? I think he made the right choice. And as for your fear that you'll let everyone down...you remember the story of the boy who killed a giant in that Bible you read?"

"David and Goliath?"

"That's the one." Nick said, pausing a moment before continuing. "If I recall correctly, he was the youngest one out of all his brothers. His job was to tend to the sheep and bring his brothers food on the sidelines of battle, yes?"

"Yeah, he was a glorified water boy." Graham joked, a small smile on his face.

"Yes, indeed. But when Goliath showed up in the Israelites' camp and demanded that they send a man to face him one-on-one, everyone was too scared, remember? Except for-"

"-Except for David." Graham said, having known the story by heart since he was a little boy.

"That's right. And even though he was the youngest, and the smallest, and the weakest, and the least experienced, David went out to fight Goliath, with little more than a sling and a couple of stones. And even though by all odds, he should have died, because God was on his side, David was able to slay Goliath on that day."

"I remember." Graham told him. "I know every word of that story."

"Well, Graham, let me ask you this, then. If a little boy can slay a giant with a slingshot and rocks, what's to say an inexperienced, bashful seventeen year old boy with a heart of gold and the desire to protect everyone can't go out and lead the Power Rangers?"

"I'm not bashful!" Graham said with a laugh, before getting serious. "And nothing, I guess."

"Exactly!" Nick exclaimed. "You have nothing to fear, Graham. You have two comrades-no, two _friends_ -that are there to support you and will follow you into battle, no matter the odds. You have God, of course. There's Captain Shields, and all the GPU waiting to back you three up. The fear that hinders you is irrational. You can't let fear be the thing that drives you."

"I know." Graham said, conviction in his eyes as his balled his right hand into a fist. "I'm not gonna let fear hold me back anymore!"

"Good. Now let's go back to the Command Room and tell everyone the good news!" Cheetah Nick chirped, standing up and walking towards the Command Room, with Graham following quickly behind.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the City Plaza...

"Wow, you rangers are more pathetic than I thought!" Shovelloid said as he tossed Colin and Colleen around like ragdolls, letting out a demonic laugh as he did so. It really filled his heart with glee to see them desperately try to escape his clutches, only for him to scoop them up and smack them around some more. In that moment, they were truly no more than his playthings-pawns in his sadistic game.

"I'm not doing so hot..." Colin groaned as he laid on the ground, battered and bruised.

"Neither am I..." Colleen replied, struggling back up to her feet and hiding behind a nearby car, holding her Spy-Saber in her right hand. "This isn't looking too good, bro..."

Letting out a laugh, Shovelloid said, "If you think this is bad, you haven't seen anything, yet! Wait until you get a load of the real threat!"

"Real threat...?" Colin asked, confused. "What are you getting at?"

"I mean, there's a present waiting for you back in Hyperspace, and right now, Enter is using the Enertron he stole to teleport it here! I can't wait to see the look on your faces when you finally get to open your gift!"

* * *

Hearing this, Lieutenant Rose looked up from her post in the Command Room, saying, "Sir, bad news. We have an incoming transfer from Hyperspace. It's a large energy signature-I'm guessing a giant mech."

"So it's begun..." Captain Shields said to himself. Looking back at her, he continued, saying, "Lieutenant, run a scan of the transfer and calculate the amount of time we have until it's complete. Once that's finished, transmit the timer to Colin and Colleen's Morphin' Braces. Now. That's an order!"

"Yes sir!" Lieutenant Rose replied, typing away at her computer in order to do so.

* * *

Back on the battlefield, this caused an image to appear on the dials of Colin and Colleen's Morphin' Braces. Looking down, the two saw a coded timer counting down, set at a little under five minutes

"Colin, Colleen, we've detected an incoming transfer!" Captain Shields yelled via the comms system in their Ranger Suits. "You have five minutes to shut down Shovelloid and focus on the real task at hand-your first Zord battle!"

"Zord battle?" Colleen asked, peeking her head out from behind the car in order to spot Shovelloid. "I thought we couldn't access the Megazord without Graham."

"You're going to have to try." He told her, typing away furiously at his keyboard. "I'm going to authorize the Zord launch. Be ready."

* * *

"This doesn't look good..." Cheetah Nick observed, turning to face Graham. "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure." Graham told him, stepping into the Command Room before saying, "Captain Shields!"

"Yes, Graham?" Captain Shields asked, turning around to see Graham walking towards him, stopping a few feet behind his desk.

"I've made up my mind." The boy said, a fiery determination in his eyes. "I'm going out there."

Turning around, Lieutenant Woods said, "Graham, you don't have to do this! Just because you had the weight of the world thrust on your shoulders at seven years old, doesn't mean you have to rush out there blindly! There has to be another way!"

"I'm done letting others decide what _my_ fate should be." Graham replied, clenching his fist. "I won't allow fear to drive me anymore!"

"I see." Captain Shields said, grabbing the last Morphin' Brace as he stood up and walked towards the boy. Holding the device out to him, he said, "Go on, then. Take it."

Nodding, Graham reached out, grasping the Morphin' Brace in his hand.

Pocketing the device, he turned to Cheetah Nick, saying, "C'mon, Nick!", leading him towards the teleporter. Hopping inside, Graham warped away towards the site of the battle, with Cheetah Nick following closely behind.

With his gaze locked on the teleporter, Captain Shields whispered to himself, saying, "Good luck, Graham. You'll need it...to fulfill your destiny!"

* * *

Clenching her left fist, Colleen let out a battle cry as she sprinted out from behind the car, swinging her Spy-Saber in Shovelloid's direction. Dodging the attack, the robot slammed his shovel arm into her side, knocking her down onto the ground with a thud.

Seeing his sister tossed around like that caused Colin to become enraged. Growling, the boy tossed his Spy-Saber aside as he charged towards Shovelloid, dive-bombing towards the robot's chest in an attempt to tackle him. However, he wasn't fast enough, as Shovelloid caught on to what he was doing and grabbed him by the arms.

Lifting the Blue Ranger up into the air, he slammed him onto his back. This caused him to groan in pain.

"Sis, I think we're done for..." He managed to say through tired breaths, having lost a lot of steam during the fight.

"Same..."

"There's no 'think' about it!" Shovelloid boomed, letting out a heart laugh. "You've failed your city, Rangers!"

"I beg to differ!"

Turning their heads, Colin and Colleen were shocked to see Graham of all people riding into the area on Cheetah Nick, who had converted into a motorcycle.

Swerving to a halt, Graham flipped up the kickstand on the bike before dismounting, pulling his motorcycle helmet off in one swift motion.

Pointing at Shovelloid, he shouted, "I'm here to put a stop to you!"

Amazed, Colleen said, "You came! You actually came!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Graham said with a smirk.

"But...I thought you were too scared..." Colin chimed in, concerned for his friend.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not letting fear hold me back anymore! It's time I chose my _own_ path!" Graham declared, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his Morphin' Brace. Looking at it, he said, "Finally...I have my future in the palm of my hand..."

Turning his eyes back to Shovelloid, Graham strapped the Morphin' Brace to his left wrist, holding his left arm upward as he turned the dial.

Stretching his arm out in front of his chest, he used his right hand to slam down the button on the side, saying, "Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Graham Morphing Sequence~**

Graham is standing in a blank white space, with his left arm still in front of his chest and his right arm stretched outward, pointing behind him.

On his Morphin' Brace's screen, a wall of green binary code can be seen scrolling down, with a certain sequence of numbers highlighted in red. With an electronic clicking noise, the screen zooms in on those numbers and they begin to flash, causing the 1s and 0s of binary code to burst out and attach themselves to Graham's body, forming his suit.

Leaping into the air, Graham looked towards the sky, as an energy incarnation of a cheetah zoomed towards his head, forming his helmet.

The transformation is now complete.

 **~End Morphing Sequence~**

Now morphed, Graham stood proudly, a wave of confidence surging through him after his transformation.

His ranger suit was identical to Colin and Colleen's, only everything that was Blue on Colin's suit and Yellow on Colleen's was now Red on his. On top of that, his helmet was themed after a cheetah, as opposed to a gorilla or rabbit.

"This is unbelievable!" Shovelloid whined, stomping his foot in anger. "There's a third one, now?!"

"That's right!" Graham said, turning his head to look towards the twins. "Guys, I'll be honest with you. I have no idea what I'm doing. I can't fight for crap, I'm a little timid, and I'm not good at being stern or commanding. That being said, if you'll follow me into battle, I promise, I will _never_ allow myself to let you guys down. I promise...I'll lead you guys to victory, no matter the cost! What do you say?"

"I'm game." Colin said as he stood up, hitting himself on the chest lightly with his fist in a sign of approval.

"Count me in!" Colleen chirped as she sprung to her feet, pumping her fist in the air.

"Alright then! Follow my lead!"

With that, the three clenched their fists, not wasting a second in beginning their role call.

"Savannah Hunter!" Graham began, stretching his left arm across his chest with his left hand balled into a fist, his right fist resting against his left forearm. "Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior!" Colin hollered, bumping his right fist against his right shoulder before thrusting it outward. "Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper!" Colleen called out, gripping her shoulder-straps with both hands before letting them go, stretching them like they were elastic. "Buster Yellow!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!" They shouted in unison, each one taking a fighting stance.

With that, fireworks burst into the air behind them, matching their three different ranger colors. A larger, white firework went out after that, causing an explosion that rocked the ground behind them and caused Shovelloid to grow even angrier.

"You think you're so great?!" He roared. "Get a load of this!"

Summoning a new group of Buglars out of thin air, Shovelloid lifted up his shovel-arm, saying, "Buglars, attack!"

Following his orders, the Buglars all rushed towards the Rangers, who all stood in place, plotting out the best course of action.

"Colin, how long do we have until the transfer is complete?" Graham asked, prompting Colin to glance down at his Morphin' Brace.

"A little under one minute." Colin informed him.

"That's all the time we need," Graham said, clenching his fist. "Objective: Shutdown Shovelloid in time to stop the incoming transfer! Ready...GO!"

Hearing this, Colin and Colleen followed Graham as he sprinted forward, using his Superspeed to weave his way through the Buglars.

Punching and kicking his way through the footsoldiers, Graham blocked an attack from one with his right arm, using it to hold it at bay. Hitting the button on his Transpod with his left hand, he materialized his Spy-Saber.

Gripping the weapon with his left hand, Graham retracted his right arm and delivered a slash to the Buglar's chest, knocking it backward and stunning it, somewhat. Switching hands so that his right hand held the weapon, Graham delivered a back-handed swing to the Buglar's head, destroying it.

Charging towards the enemy, Colin head-butted a Buglar to knock it down before curb-stomping it, pressing his foot deep into the robot with his Superstrength. Using his Transpod to summon his Spy-Blaster, he finished the Buglar off with a point-blank shot, before aiming behind him to fire a round at another Buglar that was sneaking up on him. Standing in place, he fired away at multiple Buglars as they approached him, taking them all out with his pinpoint accuracy. Satisified with his own performance, Colin pretended to blow on the barrel of the gun before holstering it and dusting his hands off.

Hopping into the air, Colleen used her Superagility to stay one step ahead of her foes, gunning them all down from above. Landing gracefully on the ground, the Yellow Ranger swapped her Spy-Blaster for her Spy-Saber, taking a stance as several Buglars rushed towards her. Waiting until they got close enough, Colleen spun around in a whirlwind, slashing all of the footsoldiers at once and destroying them within seconds.

Now, only Shovelloid was left. Checking their morphers to see they only had thirty seconds left, the three teens came together, standing side by side as they prepared to take out Shovelloid.

"This is where it ends, tin can!" Graham hollered, as he, Colin, and Colleen all aimed their Spy-Blasters at the Metaloid.

Charging up an aura of energy around his shovel-arm and aiming it at the rangers, Shovelloid replied, "This is where it ends-for _you_!"

Following this, he expelled the blast of energy at them, causing it to quickly hurtle towards them.

Aiming their Spy-Blasters at Shovelloid, the three rangers twisted a mechanism on the lenses of their weapons, causing an electronic voice to say, "Buster Time!"

This caused the barrels of their Spy-Blasters to glow a bright gold as they filled with energy, charging up a final attack. Tightening their grip on the weapons, the three shouted in unison, saying, "Spy-Blaster: Snapshot...Strike!"

Pulling the triggers all at once, they sent three rays of golden light sailing through the air towards Shovelloid, piercing his armor and causing him to spark uncontrollably.

"No!" Shovelloid shouted in denial as he exploded, sending debris flying in every direction.

"We did it!" Colleen chirped, pumping her fist in excitement. "That was awesome!"

Turning to Graham, Colin said, "I gotta admit, you did pretty great out there."

"Thanks." Graham replied, before looking at his morpher. "We're not out of this yet, though...transfer incoming!"

Looking to their morphers to see that the transfer was indeed almost complete, Colin and Colleen watched the seconds tick by. _5..4..3...2..1._

As the timer disappeared, a loud electric crackling noise could be heard as a gigantic yellow portal formed in the sky, drawing civilians in out of curiosity and sheer confusion.

A whirring noise filled the air around them, as a giant robot fell from the portal, landing on the ground and causing a crater to form. Confused, the civilians all backed away, looking up at the robot in awe.

Seeing a glint in the corner of her eye, Colleen looked up to see Enter standing on a nearby rooftop.

Gasping, she said, "Guys, you might wanna see this!", prompting them to look up where she was looking.

"It's Enter!" Colin growled, clenching his fist. "What could he be doing here?"

"Surprise, Spy-Busters!" Enter greeted from the rooftop, waving to them from across the way. "I see you've been joined by your little friend in Red...good. You'll need him."

With that, Enter extended his arm, causing dark tendrils of energy to flow out of it and stretch down towards Shovelloid's remains, charging them with dark purple energy as they reassembled the broken Metaloid.

Reviving him fully, Enter retracted the tendrils back into his arm and blew the rangers a kiss, saying, "Bonne chance, Spy-Busters." before vanishing once more.

"Damn, he got away again..." Colin groaned, as Shovelloid hopped into the air, phasing inside the giant robot's cockpit in order to become its pilot.

Installing himself into the robot's main computer, Shovelloid began to move the robot, causing destruction that sent the civilians fleeing in terror, desperate to escape with their lives intact.

"Hahahaha, I'm gonna tear this city apart! Just try and stop me, rangers!"

* * *

Accessing the Rangers' comms, Lieutenant Woods said, "Rangers, I'm launching the Zords! Nick, give them the package!"

* * *

"What package?" Colleen asked, turning to see Cheetah Nick running towards them in his robot mode, carrying a small briefcase.

"These are your Buddy-Capsules." Cheetah Nick explained, opening the briefcase to reveal two small metal spheres, which heavily resembled gashapon balls. (Those little capsules with toys inside that you can buy from those machines in Japan.) One was blue and the other was yellow. "They'll help you to pilot your Zords. Go on, take them!"

Nodding, Colin and Colleen reached out, both grabbing the Buddy-Capsule that matched their color. Throwing them on the ground, they caused the Capsules to transform into two robots, the first being a blue gorilla themed robot, and the second being a yellow rabbit themed robot.

Colin and Colleen both gasped upon seeing them-these were their Buddy-Roids, Banana and Lettuce!

"Banana...? Is that really you?" Colin asked, on the verge of crying tears of joy.

"Ahuh." Banana confirmed. "Colin, you've really grown up in the last ten years! Since when have you been this tall?"

"Lettuce, I can't believe it's you!" Colleen shrieked in excitement, kneeling down to hug the Buddy-Roid. "You're even cuter than I remember!"

Sighing, Lettuce replied, "Call me anything you want, princess. Just remember, 'cute' is off-limits."

Coughing to get their attention, Cheetah Nick said, "I hate to ruin your reunion, guys, but we have a job to do. Graham, Colin, Colleen, we three Buddy-Roids have been modified slightly over the course of the last ten years. Now, on top of our original friendship parameters, we're also programmed to act as the control units for your Zords. In order to activate that function, press the dial on your morphers and say, 'Activate: Buddy-Roid, Console Mode'."

Nodding, Graham and the others followed their instructions, pressing the dials on their Morphin' Brace's before speaking into them, saying, "Activate: Buddy-Roid, Console Mode!"

This caused the three Buddy-Roids to transform, converting into three medium-sized control units of sorts. Cheetah Nick's ears formed motorcycle grips, Banana's face formed a steering wheel, and Lettuce's rabbit-ears now served as twin flight-sticks.

Picking the consoles up off of the ground, the three rangers clutched them to their chests as a nearby skyscraper began to shake, opening up to reveal it was actually a secret launch bay for the GPU.

Shooting through the launch bay, three Zords came into view. The first was a red, cheetah themed race-car, the second was a blue, gorilla themed trailer-truck, and the third was a yellow, rabbit themed helicopter.

"I'm guessing those are our Zords," Graham observed, pointing to the three giant vehicles. "It's time we boarded them!"

Jumping into the air, Graham boarded the red Cheetah Zord, entering the cockpit and immediately getting to work installing his Buddy-Console.

"Alright, Nick, time to show this tin can what we're made of!" Graham hollered, taking hold of the controls.

"I concur!" Nick replied, his face lighting up on the console as he spoke.

Following his lead, Colin and Colleen vaulted into the air and boarded the other two vehicles, Colin boarding the Gorilla Zord and Colleen boarding the Rabbit Zord.

"You ready for this, Banana?" Colin asked, as he installed his Buddy-Console into his Zord.

"You bet I am!" Banana replied.

"I'm all fired up!" Colleen shouted as she entered her Zord's cockpit, installing her Buddy-Console. "How about you, Lettuce?"

"I'm game if you are, princess." He replied, using the pet-name he'd had for her ever since she was a little girl. "Let's bust this Metaloid!"

"Let's go!" Graham commanded, stepping on the gas and willing his Zord forward, driving it towards Shovelloid's robot. "Energy Blasters, fire!"

Flipping out from the sides of the Cheetah Zord, two laser-turrets began to spin up before firing at Shovelloid's robot, knocking it back slightly. Retaliating, the robot used it's giant shovel-arm to knock Graham aside, sending him tumbling sideways.

"Graham!" Colleen shouted out of concern for the boy, as Colin let out a low, deep growl.

"You're gonna pay for that!" He hollered, driving the Gorilla Zord right under the giant robot's legs and swerving in order to turn around. "Take this!"

Popping out of the top of the Gorilla Zord, a large missile-launcher charged itself with energy before firing a small missile at the robot, causing it to stumble forward. Turning around, the robot swung at its attacker, prompting the Blue Ranger to put the pedal to the metal in order to dodge the attack.

"Colleen, its up to you!" Graham told the Yellow Ranger, prompting her to fly forward and head towards the robot.

"It's time to finish this!" She declared as she flew her Zord up above the robot, opening a compartment at the bottom of her Zord. "End of the line, Shovelloid!"

Pressing a button, she caused her Zord to drop a few bombs on top of the robot's head, destroying it in a small explosion. Launching into the air from the force of the impact, Shovelloid screamed as he plummeted to the ground, falling to his death before fading away into a stream of data, which soon dissipated, completely erasing his existence. It was over.

* * *

Watching this on the monitor in the Command Room, Lieutenant Woods stood up and applauded the rangers, saying, "Alright! They did it!"

Smiling as he watched the Lieutenant celebrating the victory, Captain Shields accessed the Rangers' comms and said, "Nice work, Rangers. You stopped Shovelloid and saved the city. Congratulations."

"What about the other robberies?" Lieutenant Rose whispered, so that the Rangers wouldn't hear. "Shouldn't we tell them?"

Taking off his earpiece, Captain Shields looked to the Lieutenant and said, "Let them have their victory, Lieutenant. They'll need moments like these in order for their morale to stay up."

Turning back to the monitor, Captain Shields zoomed in on the inside of Graham's cockpit and watched as the boy crossed his arms and said, "Mission: Complete!"

* * *

"Here goes nothing..." Graham muttered as he stood in front of his house, having promised to hang out with Colin and Colleen some other day. Carrying a bouquet of flowers for his Aunt as a gift to welcome her back from the hospital, Graham gave a nervous sigh and turned to Cheetah Nick, saying, "Are you sure I have to do this?"

"It's for the best, Graham." Cheetah Nick told the boy. "Your family has to know what you're doing, now."

Sighing, Graham said, "You're right...", opening the door to the house and stepping inside, quietly.

"There you are!" His Aunt Tammy chirped from the kitchen, walking down the hall and into the foyer to greet her nephew. Smiling, she said, "I was starting to think you'd be late for dinner."

"Yeah, well, I got held up at school. Sorry, Aunt Tammy..." Graham began, gulping before pulling his left arm out from behind his back, presenting the bouquet of flowers to her. "Here, these are for you."

"Aw, that's so sweet!" Aunt Tammy replied, taking the flowers from the boy. "Thank you so much, Graham!"

However, a few seconds later, she noticed the Morphin' Brace strapped to his left wrist. Pointing to it, she asked, "Is that...what I think it is...?"

Looking away from her, Graham nodded, saying, "I...I'm sorry, Aunt Tammy...I know the truth, now. I've...I've become a Power Ranger..."

Hearing this caused a single tear rolled down her cheek, as she managed to say, "V-Very well. If that's what you want, I'll let you risk your safety for the sake of the city. I wish you good luck..."

Upon seeing this, Graham slumped his shoulders, mad at himself for ruining his Aunt's return from the hospital. Turning towards the door, he opened it and went back outside, where Cheetah Nick was waiting for him.

"Well...how did it go?" He asked.

"I...I made her cry, Nick..." Graham told him, as tears began to flow from his eyes. "I can't believe I made her cry..."

"It'll be okay." Nick assured him, giving the boy a hug. "I'm sure in time she'll understand."

Meanwhile, watching from a nearby rooftop, Enter spoke to himself, saying, "Well, well, well, it seems that all three rangers have assembled. An unfortunate turn of events, yes, but I'm sure monsieur Psycho will ultimately be pleased. After all...the more the merrier."

With that, he turned and snapped his fingers, fading away into data as he warped back to Hyperspace, intending to tell his master about all that had transpired.

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

A morphed Graham whipped his head around the large, black room illuminated by floodlights, scanning his surroundings for any sign of danger. Sensing a presence behind him, he turned around while brandishing his Spy-Blaster, only to realize he was pointing his weapon at none other than Super Megaforce Red.

"Woah, woah, woah, watch where you're pointing that thing," Troy joked.

This prompted Graham to holster the weapon while nervously chuckling, before offering the fellow Red a, "Sorry."

"Don't be, I was kidding." Troy told him, letting out a laugh. "You did good today, rookie. You'll make a great ranger, I know it."

"You really think so?"

"Of course!" Troy exclaimed, as if it were obvious. "Because you have the heart of a ranger. Now, go out there, and do me proud, okay?"

"You got it!" Graham hollered, as a wave of confidence surged through him. "I'll always remember you, Troy Burrows!"

Smiling underneath his helmet, Troy replied, "Good luck in your adventure, Graham Ulry!"

With that, Super Megaforce Red left, leaving only Graham behind. Turning towards the camera, Graham gave the viewers a thumbs up, as the episode ended.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, there you have it! Part two of the pilot to "Spy-Busters (Redux)"! I hope you enjoyed it! I know I enjoyed writing it. Especially that last bit with the former Red Ranger passing the torch to Graham-it's a bit of a tradition in the final episode of each Super Sentai series for the previous Red to hand-off the responsibilities of being a Ranger to the next team's Red, and I figured I'd work it into this episode as a nice little nod to Megaforce.

Well, that's all for now! Please review, and make sure to follow/favorite so you don't miss the next episode! See ya!

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** _Graham struggles to maintain his confidence, as he and the others continue to fail to form their Megazord during a simulation. Can the Red Ranger get over his self-esteem issues in time to stop a rampaging Metaloid? Find out, in_ **Episode 3: Valued!**


	3. Ep 3: Valued

**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm back, with episode three of my rewritten version of Spy-Busters! Sorry if this took a while to come out-I just moved to a new house with my family, and we haven't gotten WiFi yet. However, I wrote every single time I had a chance to, so if you're worried that I've given up, have no fear, because believe me, I am _never_ leaving this site. My updates will just be slower than usual, until I can get permanent internet access I don't have to leave the house for. Without further ado, here's the new episode. Please read and review!

Oh, and Merry Christmas, everyone! (Yes, I'm keeping the CHRIST in Christmas. Screw saying Happy Holidays! Jesus is the reason for the season, people!)

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

Civilians fled in terror as a giant robot stomped through the city. The robot was being piloted by a Metaloid.

Watching from afar, Graham moved to intercept it, gripping the controls on his Buddy Console tightly as he piloted his Zord towards the site of the attack.

"Take this!" He hollered, pressing a few buttons in order to flip out two laser-turrets from his Zord. "Energy Blasters, fire!"

Firing a dozen bolts of energy, the Red Ranger swerved to the right, watching the impact.

Hitting the robot, the energy bolts pinged off of its body, not phasing it in the slightest. Clenching his fist, Graham said, "Dangit, energy bolts aren't even scratching him…"

Driving towards the robot in his own Zord, Colin fired a few missiles in an attempt to damage it, to no avail. Skidding his Zord to a halt, he said, "Missiles aren't affecting him any, either. This guy's untouchable!"

"I hate to admit it, but Colin's right." Colleen said, flying high above the robot in her Zord. "My bombs don't even seem to be _tickling_ him."

"Well then, it's time for Plan B!" Lieutenant Woods said through their comms.

Hearing this, Colin voiced his approval by saying, "You heard the man. Let's bring 'em together!"

"Alright," Graham said slowly, flipping a few switches above his head. "It's worth a shot, at least. Commencing Megazord Formation!"

Driving his Cheetah Zord down the street, Graham hit a few more buttons on his console, causing it to convert into a humanoid robot. The robot was missing a head, as well as any arms-instead, it had two pegs on its shoulders, which expelled puffs of steam as the robot skidded to a halt a few feet away.

"Alright, Colin, now it's our turn!" Colleen said as she piloted her Zord towards Graham's.

"I hear ya, I hear ya," Colin said with a sigh, driving after her.

Driving up the side of the robot, Colin stopped once the cab of his trailer-truck Zord came into contact with the Cheetah Zord's shoulder-peg. Locking into place, the Gorilla Zord expelled some steam of its own, the doors on the back of the trailer opening up to reveal a large, black fist.

Flying towards the Cheetah Zord, Colleen lined her Zord up with its left shoulder-peg, bringing the two together with a series of metal clicks. Expelling some steam, the Rabbit Zord extended itself into two segments, matching the length of the Megazord's right arm. The formation was almost complete.

"Alright, we're done on our end, boss man." Colin said, flipping a few switches overhead to make sure everything was in order. "Now it's time for you to work your magic."

"Acknowledged. Give me a couple seconds to work this out," Graham said awkwardly, reaching up to press a few buttons, still not sure of which ones he was supposed to use. "Dangit, why can I never remember which buttons does what…which one of you activates the head?"

As the Red Ranger struggled to find the right button to push, the Metaloid piloted its robot over towards, charging an energy blast with its right hand. Seeing this, Colin turned to the right, where a screen was displaying a view of the other two's cockpits.

"Uh, Graham, you might wanna hurry. That Metaloid's getting a little too close for comfort!"

"I'm working on it! Try and keep it busy until I'm finished!"

"Can't! Our offensive options are nada until you get that head online!" Colleen informed him.

"Dangit, I'm trying my best, here! Which one of these stupid buttons does it?!" Graham yelped, clearly starting to panic a little.

"Rangers, look out!" Lieutenant Rose warned as the Metaloid fired a beam of energy at their Zords, blasting them apart.

As the environment began to fade away to reveal a large cargo-bay, an electronic voice said, "Training Program Terminated."

Demorphing, Graham slammed his fist on the console of his Zord, clearly upset. "Dag nabbit, why can't I remember which button to press? Why are there even this many buttons, anyway?"

Cancelling her transformation, Colleen looked to her screen before addressing the boy, saying, "Don't worry, Graham. We'll just run it again."

"I don't wanna run it again!" Graham shouted, grabbing his head with both hands in frustration. "This is the fifth time I've screwed this up!"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up." Colin said, demorphing before looking to the boy. "Colleen and I had just as big a role in the simulation failures as you did."

"Maybe, but you guys are really good at piloting your Zords. Meanwhile, I'm stuck here in newb-ville, and I can't even remember a simple button-layout!" Graham replied, covering his face with his hands before continuing with, "I can't do anything right…."

"Graham, there's no need to say that." Cheetah Nick replied, his face lighting up on the console. "So you failed the Program a few times. No one's perfect. Why don't you practice some more on the Zord track? Study the manual a few more times. I'm sure you'll figure it all out in due time."

"I'd rather not, Nick." Graham said, exiting his Zord and prompting his Buddy-Roid to do the same, converting back to robot mode. Shoving his hands in his pockets, the boy walked towards the exit, saying, "I need some air…"

Seeing him leave, Colleen hopped out of her own Zord and went after him, saying, "Graham, it's fine, really! It wasn't your-"

"Let him go, Colleen." Colin said, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. "He just needs to blow off some steam, that's all. C'mon, let's head home. We've got tons of homework to do."

"Yeah, I know…" Colleen mumbled, still not convinced that Graham was alright. Rubbing her arm, she followed her brother, exiting the complex via the teleporter.

"I hope Graham's doing okay." Lieutenant Woods said from the Command Room, concerned for the Red Ranger. "He's been really down on himself, today."

"He's fine, Lieutenant." Captain Shields assured him, a confident smile on his face. "It's like Colin said. He just needs to blow off some steam."

* * *

"Gah, I'm so stupid!" Graham grunted in annoyance as he teleported into an alley near his house, looking around to make sure the area was clear before exiting the alley and heading into his neighborhood.

Walking up to his house, he pulled out a key and unlocked the front door, entering into the foyer and taking off his shoes before shutting the door and locking it behind him. Heading into the kitchen, the boy went straight to the walk-in pantry in the back, grabbing a pack of ramen noodles. Tossing them on the counter, he grabbed a pot and filled it with water before placing it on the stove, heating it to a boil in order to prepare his food.

"I swear, I can be so useless, sometimes…" Graham muttered as he poured his now cooked ramen noodles into a bowl, retrieving a fork from a drawer and a bottle of Mt. Dew from the fridge before retreating to his room, sitting down at his desk with a scowl.

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**_

 _ **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**_

 _ **(*Shots of Graham, Colin, and Colleen flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, and Colleen is riding a bike. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**_

 _ **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**_

 _ **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**_

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 _ **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**_

 _ **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**_

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist, as Colin and Colleen follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, the other two quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the three spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 _ **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*A shot of Graham, Colin, and Colleen each piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot piloted by a Metaloid is shown. Gripping the controls, the three each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**_

 _ **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing side by side, all three of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the three instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, the three rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 3: Valued**

The next morning, Colleen walked into the school building with her brother, heading over to her locker in order to get the books she'd need for her first few classes.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Graham, who still looked a little down in the dumps as he fumbled with his lock, struggling to get it open for whatever reason.

When he finally did manage to unlock it, it flew right off the locker and hit him in the face, causing him to stumble back, gripping his nose with his hands.

"Dude, are you okay?" Graham's friend Daniel asked, a little concerned for the boy.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Graham replied, his voice a little muffled. Grabbing the lock off of the floor, he lightly slammed it down on the bottom of his locker before reaching onto the shelves, forcefully grabbing the books he'd need and depositing the ones he didn't need until after lunch.

Lightly shoving the locker closed, he slammed the lock into place and quickly locked it back up before walking with Daniel to class. It was clear that he was somewhat flustered.

 _I hope he's alright…_ Colleen thought to herself as she watched him leave, a sympathetic look in her eyes. _He's being really hard on himself…_

* * *

As the bell rang to signify the end of 6th Period, Colin and Colleen hopped out of their seats and exited the classroom, meeting up with Graham in the hall as they headed to their 7th period class.

"Hey, man, how's it hanging?" Colin asked the Red Ranger.

"Today's been pretty terrible," Graham said with a sigh.

"How so?"

"Well, for starters, I had a little difficulty getting into my locker today."

"Oh."

"Then Mrs. Englefeld pulled that pop quiz out of nowhere. And of course I did poorly-it's Math, which is my worst subject! Then I got made fun of in Biology for not believing in evolution- _again_ -and of course I screwed up my group's experiment in Chemistry just now. I freaking hate science…"

"I'm with you, there." Colin replied. "Cutting dead things open for forty five minutes is vomit-inducing. And whoever thought it'd be a good idea to have a bunch of teenagers handle a load of volatile chemicals with only one adult to supervise them was a colossal fucking moron."

"Good point," Graham agreed. "You could get your point across sans swearing, though."

"Him and a bunch of other people." Colleen chimed in.

"I know, right?" Graham exclaimed. "It's almost like no one today can speak their mind without swearing every other word."

"Right? You can barely understand what anyone's actually saying!" Colleen said, breaking into a fit of laughter.

 _Were these two made for eachother, or what?_ Colin thought to himself, his eyebrows furrowed in slight bemusement.

As they neared the gymnasium, where their next class was being held, Graham cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

"Hey, listen, guys, I'm really sorry about the other day. Y'know, screwing up the Zord simulation and all…"

"It wasn't your fault." Colleen told him, patting him on the shoulder. "You're not the only one who's struggled to pilot their Zord. Heck, when I first tried flying mine, I sent it straight into the hangar doors and ended up damaging the propeller."

"That's nothing." Colin added. "The first time I used mine in a simulation, I forgot to take it out of drive before I parked it. Ended up running over like, three mailboxes. Virtual mailboxes, yes, but mailboxes nonetheless."

"The point is, you're not a failure, alright? Don't be so hard on yourself." Colleen said encouragingly.

"I guess you guys are right…" Graham said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Resting his arm on Graham's shoulders, Colin said, "No guessing about it, dude. Now c'mon, let's get to PE."

* * *

"Enter…" Psycho moaned from Hyperspace, his voice sounding weak and full of anguish. "Enter…"

"Yes, Monsieur Psycho?" Enter asked, warping into the abandoned factory that served as the Vaglass' base, as well as the location of their communication uplink to Hyperspace.

"Enter…the children…they're improving…learning…growing in…strength…"

"Indeed they are. What is your point, my liege?"

"I want you to examined this growth…study it for our own gain...and then, when you've collected as much data as you can from them…I want you to exterminate the vermin, once and for all."

"Yes, Monsieur Psycho. It shall be done." Enter said with a bow, looking up at the twisted, broken image of his master. "May I ask where to begin?"

"Start…with the Red one…" Psycho murmured, struggling to speak with every word. "His power is great, beyond that of the others…but he has yet to hone his skill. Observe him, find what motivates and drives him, and then…snuff him out before he can reach even a third of his potential."

"Understood."

With that, Enter grabbed a tank of Enertron and his trusty laptop before warping away, intending to do his master's bidding.

* * *

"Alright, maggots, welcome back to Physical Education!" The school's coach, Coach Fembley, hollered as everyone walked out into the gymnasium, having changed into gym clothes in the locker rooms. Her voice and strong, commanding, and most of all, firm.

The school had initially had reservations about hiring a female coach, but once they saw how take-charge and headstrong she was, hiring Fembley was a no-brainer. Once she became a part of the SHHS staff, she worked her way up from Student Coach, to Assistant Coach, and then, she became the head Coach once the former Coach, Coach McKnight, was finally offered a position at his former high school in Reefside, where he'd dreamed of working ever since he retired from professional soccer. **[1]**

"Listen up, maggots, cuz I'm only gonna say this once! We're gonna be playing dodgeball for the next while, 'cuz I need time to work on another Unit for you to do. That, and the football team has, frankly, _sucked_ as of late, and a lot of my time is being consumed working their asses to exhaustion in practice. I am sad to report, my efforts have been in vain up to this point."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Coach…" Matthew Holmes, the star Quarterback, muttered, embarrassed like all the other football players that the Coach would call them out in front of the whole class.

"No one likes a whiny-ass, Holmes. I suggest you shut your mouth before I stick my size fifteen boot right up your lady-parts. Alright, I need two team captains. Raise your hands, and raise 'em high, maggots."

With that, several students raised their hands. Coach Fembley chose Tony, the captain of the Wrestling Team, as one of the team captains, and chose Matthew as the other. (Likely as punishment for his complaining.) Now that the captains had been chosen, the first pick went to Tony.

"Alright, Tony, who you got?" The Coach asked, tapping her foot impatiently. "C'mon, I ain't got all day."

"Alright, check it out. I want Derek!"

"Nice choice, my man!" Derek hollered, walking up to Tony. "Man, we are gonna _kill_ it out there!"

"Hold on a minute, no fair!" Matthew squawked. "Derek's got the best throwing arm in the whole Football Team, I was planning on using that to my advantage! Stick to your own team, Tony!"

"It's _my_ choice, I'll pick who I want."

"But he's _my_ teammate!"

Clearing her throat to break up the argument, Coach Fembley said, "I appreciate that sentiment, Matthew, but I gave Tony first pick, not you. So what should you do?"

Rolling his eyes, Matthew said, "I know, I know. 'Know your role', and-"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Everyone shouted in unison, laughing at the boy's expense. **[2]**

Turning to Graham with a smile on her face, Colleen said, "Well, she sure showed him!"

* * *

Walking through the streets of the city's downtown district, Enter ducked into an alley, where an unattended motorcycle was parked.

Adjusting his goggles, the Avatar spoke, saying, "This should do nicely…let's see, here…."

Pulling out his laptop, he hooked it up to the Enertron Storage Tank he was carrying via a USB cable before pulling out another Metavirus card, scanning it on the laptop's card-scanner.

As the virus fully installed itself onto the card, Enter procured it from the scanner, saying, "Virus…Install."

Turning to the motorcycle, he tossed it onto the side of the bike. Attaching itself via tiny little wires, the card began to transfer its virus to the object, causing it to morph into a humanoid robot themed around a tire.

"Tireloid, at your service," The Metaloid said with a bow, causing a twisted smile to form on the Avatar's face. "How may I help you?"

"Go into the city and find the Red Ranger." Enter commanded. "It's imperative that we find him and study his special ability, for the benefit of Monsieur Psycho."

"Say no more!" Tireloid said, running off to complete his new objective. "Consider it done!"

As he watched the Metaloid leave, Enter spoke to himself, saying, "This should be interesting."

* * *

"Hmmm…I pick…Steven." Matthew said, leaving Graham as the only student left.

"Alright, Steven it is." Coach Fembley said, as Steven headed over to Matthew, giving the boy a fist-bump. "Graham, that means you're with Tony. C'mon, let's hop to it!"

"Yes, mam…" Graham said with a sigh, shoving his hands in the pockets of his gym shorts as he headed over to Tony's team. He only took comfort in the fact that he was at least on the same team as Colin and Colleen. Walking over to the twins, he said, "I hate being the last pick…"

"C'mon, Graham, cheer up. We were picked pretty late, too." Colleen pointed out.

"That's only because you guys are new, and no one knows you very well. If you weren't, you both would've been top picks. Colin's really strong, and you're really popular. It doesn't hurt that you're cute."

" _I'm…cute?"_ Colleen whispered to herself, blushing slightly as the boy ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I just wish I could show these people what I'm really made of." Graham said. "If I were allowed to use my superspeed, I'd have all eyes on me in an instant."

"Captain Shields says we're not supposed to use our powers outside of training or Ranger battles." Colin reminded him. "It would do more harm than good, believe me. They wouldn't understand, for one."

"It'd scare them more than it would impress them." Colleen added. "Besides, our metahuman abilities are classified. If anyone knew, they'd be in danger. We developed these powers as a side-effect of having large amounts of Enertron course through our blood, via the energy beams the Vaglass shot us with ten years ago. It's impossible for that _not_ to interest Psycho in any way. Exposing ourselves would only cause him to use others to get to us."

"Yeah, you guys have a point…" Graham grumbled.

"Hey, lighten up, man. You've been acting way too serious, today." Colin said, giving the Red Ranger a playful shove. "Now c'mon. Let's play us some dodgeball."

* * *

"Alright, maggots, class is dismissed!" Coach Fembley hollered as the bell rang, signifying the end of 7th period and thus, the school day as a whole.

"That…freaking… _sucked_." Graham groaned as he and Colin walked into the boy's locker room, slipping out of their gym uniforms and taking quick showers before hopping back out and putting their regular clothes back on.

"Oh, c'mon, it wasn't that bad." Colin told him as he looked in a mirror inside his gym locker, drying his hair off with a medium-sized towel.

"Are you joking? I was terrible. I missed so many good shots, and I screwed our team over like, seven times."

"Hey, man, stop being so hard on yourself, already. Be confident." Colin pointed out. "Besides, remember what Coach Fembley said. No one likes a whiny-ass."

"Again with the language?" Graham muttered, causing Colin to roll his eyes.

"Dude, listen to me. You're not gonna get anywhere in life without some self-esteem." Colin told him. "If you don't believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to?"

"I guess you have a point…" Graham said, throwing on his hoody over-top of his plain, white t-shirt before flipping the hood behind him and adjusting the strings. "Still, it's hard to believe in yourself when you've spent your whole life being told you're worthless."

Stopping in his tracks, Colin looked to the boy, adjusting his glasses. Speaking up, he said, "When has anyone ever told you that…?"

"Let's see…oh, second grade, that's a good one."

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

 _A seven year old Graham sat alone on the playground, quietly humming to himself from his perch on a nearby picnic table as he watched a group of kids playing basketball._

 _As he watched them, he sighed, wishing he could join them, but he knew it was a pipe-dream. He was the new kid, and already had a reputation for crying a lot in class due to his mother's recent death. Therefore, he wasn't exactly very popular._

 _Noticing he seemed upset, one of the boys in the group broke off from the others and headed to the table, dribbling the ball as he did._

 _Stopping in front of the table, he looked to Graham with a smile and said, "Hi, there!"_

" _H-Hey…" Graham stammered nervously, his social anxiety kicking in. "C-Can I help you?"_

" _Yeah, actually. I saw you sitting here by yourself, and I was wondering if you wanted to play with us. You look like you'd like to."_

" _I guess I want to." Graham said, avoiding the other boy's gaze. "If that's o-okay with everyone, that is."_

" _It'll be fine. C'mon, I'll introduce ya." The boy said, prompting Graham to reluctantly stand up and follow him. Turning back to face Graham, the boy said, "I'm Chase, by the way. What's your name?"_

" _G-Graham." Graham said shyly, his voice barely more than a mumble. "My name is Graham."_

" _Nice to meet ya, Graham!" Chase said excitedly, holding out his hand for Graham to shake. "You're new here, right? Welcome to SHES."_

" _Yeah, I'm new. Thanks for the welcome." Graham said awkwardly, as they neared the basketball court. "Oh, and it's nice to meet you, too."_

 _Walking over to the court, Chase held his fingers to his mouth and whistled, getting everyone's attention._

 _As they looked to him, Chase spoke, saying, "Hey, guys, this is Graham! Anyone mind if he plays with us?"_

 _Hearing this, the group of boys let out a collective groan. Walking up to Chase, a seven year old Matthew said, "Dude, are you serious? You do this like, every recess."_

" _I'm just trying to be nice," Chase told him, as the other boys looked Graham over._

" _He looks super scrawny…" A seven year old Derek observed._

" _Has he even played before?" A younger Tony questioned._

" _N-Not really." Graham said, speaking up. "But I'm willing to try."_

 _Sighing, Matthew said, "…Fine, I guess he can play. But he's on your team, Chase."_

" _That's fine." Chase said, dribbling the ball before catching it. "Check it out, what if you, Derek, and Tony go against me and Graham?"_

" _You sure about this?" Tony asked. "He looks like he really sucks."_

" _Don't be so mean. Give him a chance, dude."_

" _Alright, have it your way." Derek chimed in, rolling his eyes. "But don't start breaking out in tears when you two lose."_

 _The boys then proceeded to play a game of basketball. Graham tried his best to do what Chase told him, but his bad hand-eye coordination and general lack of athleticism and height caused him to slip up a lot. This resulted in a huge loss, with Chase and Graham only earning one basket in the entire game._

" _Dangit, we lost!" Chase exclaimed, turning and giving Graham a shove. "This is all your fault!"_

" _What do you mean?" Tony asked. "Yeah, he sucks, but you're the idiot who let him play. If anything, the blame's on YOU."_

" _Tony's got a point. He sucks, and you were an idiot for asking him to play." Derek said._

" _But I-"_

" _Stop talking." Matthew said, cutting Chase off before ripping the ball out of his hands. "From now on, find someone ELSE'S game to ruin. Let's go, guys."_

 _With that, he, Derek, and Tony left, leaving Chase and Graham by themselves. Turning around, Chase shouted at Graham, saying, "Thanks a lot! Because of you, I got kicked out of the group! Nice going!"_

 _After saying this, Chase clenched his fists, shoving Graham roughly onto the ground to further his point._

 _Looking up at him, Graham protested by saying, "B-But it's not my fault! I-I said it was my first time playing…"_

" _Yeah, well, take my advice, and let it be your last, because you're AWFUL." Chase said meanly, spitting on the boy. "Go back to your bench, loser."_

 _Walking away, Chase left Graham lying on his back all by himself. Hurt by the mean things that had been said to him, Graham began to cry, not even caring who all saw him as a teacher spotted him and rushed to his aid._

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"You're _kidding_!" Colin exclaimed, unable to believe the story. "That's _AWFUL._ "

"No, that's my life." Graham countered. "They've been telling me the same thing all day, every day for the past ten years. No matter how hard I try, or how badly I wanna learn, they never let up. The bullying never stops…so I've learned to just ignore it. Better to deprive them of what they want than to give it right to 'em."

Shaking his head as they walked out into the 12th grade hallway, Colin said, "That's horrible. I can't just let them get away with saying stuff like that to you. You've gotta tell a teacher or something."

"And what, get made fun of for being a tattle-tale? Bullies _love_ it when their victims squeal. It's like watching them _admit_ that they can't handle it without help."

"Well, it's better than letting them bend you over a table and screw you like-"

"I could do without the gross analogy, Colin, I really could! Besides, it's not even an issue anymore. They haven't even messed with me, lately, and frankly, if I tell on them now, it'll just start trouble."

"I guess you're right…" Colin said, unsure of himself as he reached his locker. "Well, this is my stop. Wanna hang out or something?"

"I'd love to, but I gotta get home. Got lots of homework to do and stuff." Graham lied, opening his locker and depositing his books inside.

"They barely gave us _any_ homework today. Are you sure you're alrigh-"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Colin." Graham said, cutting the boy off as he locked up his locker and left the school building.

* * *

" _Man, I am such a wreck, today…_ " Graham muttered to himself as he began the long walk home, upset over his numerous failures that day.

He was almost home, when out of nowhere, a stray energy blast whizzed past his head, narrowly missing him by mere inches. Darting his eyes around, he saw the source of the attack, a lone Metaloid.

"Why hello there, Red Ranger!" Tireloid greeted sarcastically. "How very nice to finally meet you!"

Scowling, Graham replied with, "You wanna make my day miserable too, huh? Alright then…get in line."

With that, he brandished his Morphin' Brace, running towards the Metaloid at full speed.

"Install: Spy-Busters!" He called out, turning the dial on his Morphin' Brace before slamming his right hand on the button. Instantly morphing into Buster Red, Graham pointed to the Metaloid, saying, "Bring it on, tin can!"

"Very well!" Tireloid screeched, summoning a group of Buglars and signaling them to attack the Red Ranger. "Just warning you, though-you may not be able to keep up!"

"Pfft, that's _rich_." Graham said with a scoff, stretching his arm in a windmill-like motion as he adopted a crouching stance, getting ready to break out into a run. Charging forward, he zipped past the squadron of footsoldiers, using his lightning reflexes to take them all out within seconds. Coming to a halt right in front of Tireloid, Graham held out his arms in an arrogant manner, saying, "You realize I'm a speedster, right?"

"I'm fully aware of your power, Buster Red." Tireloid informed him, shooting more energy blasts at his foe and watching in frustration as he dodged them all flawlessly. "But know this: you aren't the _only_ one who's fast."

Within moments, Graham felt a strange surge of energy in the air, as a lone gust of wind blew behind his back.

Before he even had time to react, Enter materialized and struck him from behind, flanking the boy before warping over to Tireloid, a smug look on his face.

"Salutations, Graham Ulry." Enter greeted in his French accent, his voice suave, yet dripping with malice at the same time. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. My name is Enter; I'm a servant of Monsieur Psycho, the one responsible for the attacks on your city ten years ago."

"I'll well aware of that," Graham grunted, clenching his fist. "My mom died in those attacks."

"Ah, yes, your mother. Her name was Melissa, was it not?" Enter asked, striking a nerve within the boy. "I remember her face like it was yesterday…the terror in her eyes, the way she frantically looked around, looking for you…she wanted so desperately for you to be safe. That's the thing about humans…so pathetic. They'd rather risk their own life than to watch any of their fellow humans die, and yet, when their lives _aren't_ in danger, they rip eachother to shreds and treat others like trash. Your mother included…I'm glad she died. She _deserved_ it."

"What…did you say?" Graham said, his voice little more than a whisper. His breathing was getting heavier and he was starting to lose control of his emotions.

"You heard me. She _deserved_ to die."

"How…HOW DARE YOU?!" Graham screamed at the top of his lungs, no longer able to control his rage. Breaking into a run, he immediately turned into a red blur, lunging at Enter with everything he had.

"Ah, yes, your power. A bit of an annoyance, yes, but it's rather impressive, regardless." Enter observed, as Graham neared him.

Launching a volley of furious punches and kicks the Avatar's way, Graham watched in frustration and anger as Enter dodged each and every single one of the attacks. Teleporting a few feet away, Enter smirked, saying, "It needs works, though."

"I…can beat you! I'm better than you! I have to be!" Graham shouted, summoning up all the energy within him and using it to speed forward, going faster than he'd ever gone before. Not satisfied with his speed, he screamed, "I have to be faster! I have to be!"

As Graham approached him, Enter side-stepped to the right, dodging the boy's attack while grabbing him by the arm, holding him in place and stopping the speedster in his tracks.

"As you humans often say, 'Close, but no cigar'." Enter taunted, tossing the boy onto his back.

"Dangit…this isn't happening…" Graham grumbled in disbelief, struggling to his feet. "I will…beat you…if it's the last thing I do!"

"Maybe so…but today isn't that day." Enter replied, turning to Tireloid before continuing. "I think I've collected enough data for today. I'd like time to study him further, though…go ahead and knock him unconscious. We can drop him off at the lair and still have time to steal some Enertron as a nice little bonus."

"Consider it done!" Tireloid hollered, charging up an energy blast and pointing it at Graham. "You're coming with us, pal!"

"He's not going anywhere!" A morphed Colin and Colleen shouted in unison, appearing out of nowhere and blocking their friend in an attempt to shield him.

"I don't know what you're up to, Enter, but Graham isn't playing any part in it!" Colin said.

"Not if we have anything to say about it." Colleen added, pulling out her Spy-Blaster and keeping it trained on Tireloid.

Sighing, Enter responded with, "You humans can be such a pain…just when I'm about to make some actual _progress_ , you two have to come and remind me Rangers come in sets of three to five…this isn't over."

With that, he and Tireloid warped away, deciding that they'd capture the Red Ranger later on.

Seeing them leave, Colin breathed a sigh of relief, as Colleen turned around and demorphed, kneeling on Graham's level in order to check on him.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her voice filled with concern.

"No, I'm not," Graham replied, demorphing and clenching his fist. "I had him right where I wanted him, but I…I wasn't fast enough. I was so close, but I just…stopped."

"Must be your weakpoint," Colin reasoned, turning around and demorphing as well. Kneeling down beside his twin, he continued by saying, "That'd be my guess."

"Weakpoint…?" Graham asked. "I have a…weakpoint?"

"Yep," Colleen nodded. "We all do. We can elaborate, if you'd like."

"Maybe some other time, I gotta get home…" Graham mumbled, standing up and heading towards his house.

Standing up, Colleen protested, saying, "But Graham, don't you wanna talk about it or some-"

"There's nothing to talk about, Colleen." Graham said, cutting her off. "I'm just a failure."

"But Graham-"

"Let him go, Colleen." Colin said, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Graham's in a bit of a funk right now. All guys go through one at some point. And trust me, the last thing you wanna do during one is talk to them. You have to leave them alone for awhile, and wait for them to bounce back."

"But what if he never does…?"

"I..." Colin began, pausing mid-sentence. Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his glasses before saying, "I don't know, Colleen. All I know is that he has to do this alone. It's what makes a man a man."

"If you say so," Colleen mumbled, unable to hide her concern for her friend.

* * *

"I can't believe I wasn't fast enough!" Graham shouted from his seat at his desk, slamming his fists onto the wooden surface in front of his computer monitor. "Why can't I ever do anything right? I wanna be the leader my team deserves, but I'm just not good enough! I don't wanna let them down…"

 _You will let them down._ A voice in Graham's head said, sounding a lot like an older Chase. _Because you're terrible._

 _You suck at everything_. An older Tony's voice rang through his head.

 _You could never be as good as they are._ An older Derek added.

 _You're absolutely worthless._ An older Matthew taunted from within his mind, his words hitting home more than the others'. _And nobody cares about you._

"Dangit…get out of my HEAD!" Graham shouted at the top of his lungs, picking up an old textbook off of his desk and throwing it against the wall.

"Graham?" A voice said, coming from the hall. "Are you alright?"

Freezing in place, Graham turned his head just in time to see his bedroom door open, his younger cousin Seth standing there.

"Is something wrong?" Seth asked, worried for his cousin.

"It's nothing, buddy." Graham lied, not wanting him to worry. "I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine."

"I…I'm not." Graham said, taking a deep breath as he realized he couldn't hide the truth from Seth. "I…have you ever felt like you were gonna let someone down? Someone you really cared about?"

"All the time," Seth replied, walking inside and sitting on the edge of Graham's bed. "Sometimes I get nervous before Bible Quizzing tournaments. I know I'm good, and I can hold my own, it's just…sometimes I doubt myself. I don't ever wanna mess everything up for my teammates. Everyone works so hard, and it just…they set the bar high so I can step it up. Sometimes I wonder if I'm good enough to be on their level."

"Yeah, well, that's different." Graham countered. "You're really good at Bible Quizzing, plus, mine's a little harder. You…you know I'm a Power Ranger, right?"

"Yeah. Dad told me about it when I asked him why Mom's been so sad, lately."

"I uh...yeah," Graham replied awkwardly, feeling a twinge of guilt in his stomach at the mention of his Aunt. The memory of the night he told her he had become a Ranger still haunted him, due to making her cry. "Anyway, I uh…I ran into a Metaloid on the way home, and…I thought I'd be fast enough to take him on. I was wrong. And…my two teammates are just worried about me, but I…I'm worried about them. I'm supposed to be their leader, but…I don't know if I'm good enough."

"Everyone doubts themselves from time to time." Seth pointed out. "Especially us guys. But in my opinion…I think those moments are pivotal. Because…overcoming that doubt, and working past it to become better than we could ever be on our own…those are the moments that make God proud."

Processing what Seth had said, Graham sat in stunned silence, the words sinking in directly to his heart. As a small smile started to form on his face, he said, "Y'know what? I think you're right, Seth. Thanks, buddy, I'm really glad we had this talk."

With that, he got up out of his seat, grabbing his hoody and slipping it on before walking towards the door.

Standing up, Seth said, "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go train. I know I can be faster than Tireloid." Graham told him, superspeeding out the door within an instant. A moment later, he sped back, looking like he forgot something. Giving Seth a quick hug, he said, "Thanks, buddy."

"You're welcome." Seth said with a smile, happy to help his cousin.

As Graham sped off again, Seth walked upstairs to his room, his conversation with Graham having inspired him to do some practicing for his upcoming Bible Quizzing tournament.

* * *

"Alright, here we are." Graham said to Cheetah Nick in his bike form as he stopped in front of the local park, taking off his helmet as Nick transformed into robot mode. Looking to the Buddy-Roid, Graham said, "It's time to get serious."

"Not without us, it isn't." Colin said, he and Colleen walking in from the parking lot.

"What brought you guys here?" He asked.

"Colin said you needed time to reevaluate yourself. Said it's what makes you a man, or whatever." Colleen replied, rolling her eyes a little bit at the last part. "Well, you're done soul-searching, right? Now it's go-time."

Hearing this, Graham smiled wide, unable to believe the amount of support his teammates were showing.

* * *

"Alright…on your marks…" Colin began from his perch on a tree-branch, sitting next to Colleen and waiting as Graham stood in a crouching stance, preparing to break out into a run. "Get set…"

Hearing this, Graham cracked his knuckles, preparing to run.

"GO!" Colin shouted, prompting Graham to speed forward like a bullet.

As he pushed himself harder and harder, Graham gained even more speed than he had before, turning into a blazing blur and going so fast that Colin and Colleen could barely tell where he was.

"WOOHOO!" Graham hollered as he sped back to the starting point, coming to halt as his friends hopped down from the tree and cheered.

"That was awesome!" Colleen chirped. "You were like a blur!"

"I could barely see you, man!" Colin exclaimed, giving the boy a high-five. "You did good, man."

"Thanks," Graham began. "But I couldn't have done it without you guys."

"I hate to break up the celebration," Tireloid said from out of nowhere, causing innocent bystanders to panic, running and screaming in every which direction. "But I've got some unfinished business with you, Buster Red. You won't escape, this time."

"I don't need to escape." Graham told him, clenching his fist. "I'm faster than you."

"But you aren't faster than _me_." Enter pointed out, warping in next to Tireloid.

"I'm not afraid of you, Enter!" Graham shouted. "I'm afraid-no, I _was_ afraid-of failing my team. But I've learned a valuable lesson in teamwork…if you don't believe in yourself first, then you'll let others down every single time. But if you believe in yourself, and believe in the strength of your allies…you'll never lose! And I never will lose! God is on my side, and don't forget, so are Colin and Colleen!"

"You know it," Colin said proudly.

"Right on!" Colleen chimed in.

"Your sentiments mean nothing to me." Enter spat. "I care only for Monsieur Psycho. His will shall be done."

"Not if we have anything to say about it," Graham countered, looking to the others. Seeing them nod at him, he looked back to Enter, saying, "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!" The three said in unison, turning the dials on their Morphin' Braces and pushing the buttons with their right hands.

 **~Morphing Sequence~**

Now morphed and ready for a fight, the three stood their ground, not wasting a second in beginning their rollcall.

"Savannah Hunter! Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior! Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper! Buster Yellow!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!"

Looking to his team, Graham rallied them together by saying, "Objective: Destroy Tireloid, before he does any damage to the city or its civilians! Ready…? GO!"

As soon as he finished his sentence, Graham and the twins charged forward together, moving as one body with one purpose. They were totally in sync with eachother-a truer example of a unified team had never existed before now.

"Good luck with that! _I_ came prepared!" Tireloid boomed, summoning a squadron of Buglars. "Buglars, attack!"

Upon hearing the order, the Buglars obeyed, rushing to meet the Rangers on the field of battle. Determined to break through, Graham and the others picked up the pace, showing that they were not afraid of their enemies.

Pressing the button on his Transpod, Graham materialized his Spy-Saber, grabbing it in his right hand with the blade facing downward.

Gripping it tightly, he lunged at a Buglar, slashing it across the stomach and kicking it away before back-flipping to dodge an attack from another of the robotic footsoldiers.

"I'm all fired up!" The boy hollered, slashing wildly at his attackers as they grew in number. Just like the first time he'd ever morphed, a new surge of confidence was washing over him, growing with every moment.

Using his superspeed to dodge all their attacks, he got the Buglars into a rhythm of swinging their weapons at him, missing, and swinging again, rinse, and repeat. Confident that they were too focused on their current task, he stopped dead in his tracks, throwing them off and causing them to stand completely still, utterly confused.

Getting over its confusion, one of the Buglars swung at him again, but Graham was ready, using his ability to catch its weapon and hit the robot in the face with it in order to destroy it. Charging all his energy into his Spy-Saber, he took a stance before moving once more, taking out the remaining Buglars in one single slash.

Over by the playground, Colin was warding off his own group of attackers, using his fists in tandem with his feet to overpower his opponents as if he were a wrestler in a professional wrestling show.

"Take that! And that!" He hollered as he hit a Buglar repeatedly, winding up his fist and punching it in the stomach to stagger it.

Grabbing the robot by the neck, he lifted it up into the arm and adjusted his grip with his other hand, performing a choke-slam that severely damaged it. Kneeling down on the ground, he laid on top of the Buglar and pretended to pin it.

"He's going for the cover!" Colin said, in a mock-commentator voice. "1…2…3! Ding, ding, ding! And here is your winner: Colin 'CV' Voice!"

Elbowing the Buglar and standing up as it exploded, Colin bowed slightly, sarcastically saying, "Thank you! Thank you very much! Goodnight, Starview Heights, you guys are awesome!"

Meanwhile, Colleen was using her Spy-Blaster to weed through the footsoldiers, hopping into the air via her superagility in order to gain some height as she gunned down her enemies.

"You're all no match for my sharpshooting!" She said confidently, taking out Buglars left and right.

Landing gracefully on the ground, she crouched down low, blasting the robots one by one as they ran at her like zombies. As the last one rushed at her, she stood to her feet, grabbing it by the collar and flipping it onto its back.

"Hey you," She said, addressing the Buglar as she aimed her Spy-Blaster at its head. "Hasta la vista."

Pulling the trigger, she shot it, causing it to explode. Now, the only ones left to fight were Tireloid and Enter.

Regrouping with his two friends, Graham looked to them, saying, "You guys get Tireloid. Enter's mine."

" _Damn, I wanted to get Enter…_ " Colin mumbled, prompting Colleen to put her hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, Colin. You'll get your chance." She told her twin. "Besides…Graham has to do this on his own. Remember? 'That's what makes a man a man' and whatever?"

"Right," Colin said with a nod, realizing she was right. "Good call, sis."

"Thanks."

"Let's do this!" Graham hollered, charging at Enter as fast as he possibly could, becoming a red blur in a matter of seconds.

Looking to Tireloid, Enter commanded him, saying, "You take care of the other two. I'm only interested in the Red runt."

Listening to the command, Tireloid turned to the approaching Colin and Colleen, charging up an energy blast to fire at them. Meanwhile, Graham got closer to Enter, shouting, "I…am not…a runt!"

Decking Enter in the face, Graham stopped in his tracks, smirking beneath his helmet.

"I'm six feet even," He said matter-of-factly. "But I'm also skinny. That's all."

"Human humor…I'll never understand it." Enter said, holding the cheek Graham had punched. Looking to the Red Ranger, he said, "You'll pay for your insolence, child. You _will_ learn to respect me. For I am superior!"

"We'll see about that," Graham challenged, as he and Enter began to circle back and forth, staring eachother down like two boxers in the beginning of a match.

Meanwhile, Tireloid had finished charging up his energy blast, firing it at the twins in no time flat.

Summoning their Spy-Sabers, the twins deflected the attack, causing an explosion a few feet behind them. Walking away from it unfazed, the two stopped, materializing their Spy-Blasters as well.

"Our turn," Colleen said.

Combining their Spy-Sabers with their Spy-Blasters in order to give the latter weapons scopes and longer barrels, the two spoke in unison, saying, "Spy-Blaster: Scope Mode!"

Pressing a button on their Spy-Sabers, they caused the barrel of their combined weapons to glow a bright gold, charging up an energy attack. Looking into the scopes of the weapons, the two saw a targeting reticle move around until it locked on to Tireloid with an electronic click.

"Spy-Blaster: Snapshot…STRIKE!" They shouted in tandem, both pulling the trigger at the same time as Tireloid charged up another energy blast of his own.

"Take this!" He said as he fired the blast, the three waves of energy colliding and clashing in mid-air. Eventually, the Snapshot Strike's power beat out that of Tireloid, absorbing the energy from his energy blast and piercing the Metaloid's armor, causing him to spark uncontrollably. "This…can't be happening! This isn't happening!"

With that, he exploded, causing the two twins to cheer. Meanwhile, Graham was still fighting Enter.

"You…can't…win!" Enter said as he dodged every one of Graham's attacks, surprised by the amount of effort he was having to put into doing said task.

"I can…and I will!" Graham shouted back, trying with all his might to defeat Enter. However, as fear set in, he began to slow down, allowing Enter to strike him with tendrils of energy, throwing him onto his back. Struggling to stand, Graham said, "I…I slowed down…why did I slow down?"

Rushing to his position, Colleen kneeled down in front of the Red Ranger, putting her hands on his shoulders before saying, "Hey...don't push yourself so hard. We'll get him next time."

Taking a deep breath, Graham nodded in agreement, saying, "Yeah. You're right."

"I grow tired of these little games." Enter said, growing rather impatient. "I have a surprise for you, Buster Red."

Standing up, Graham and the other two noticed their Morphin' Braces start to beep. Looking down at their wrists, they saw a countdown timer displayed on the small screens of their morphers. Looking up, they turned to gaze at eachother in realization-there was an incoming transfer!

* * *

"Incoming transfer, Captain!" Lieutenant Rose shouted from her post, causing Lieutenant Woods to get a panicked look on his face as alarms began blaring inside the GPU's underground base.

* * *

"Ciao, Spy-Busters." Enter said with a bow, using his tendrils of energy to revive Tireloid before warping away.

"What do we do?" Colin asked, starting to panic a little bit.

"Easy. We go to Plan B." Graham told him, his voice firm as a sign he was sure of himself. Pressing the dial on his Morphin' Brace, he opened up the comm-link to the GPU before speaking into it, saying, "Lieutenant Woods, send the Zords."

"But what if you can't form the Megazord again?" Lieutenant Woods asked the boy. "Aren't you afraid of failing again?"

"I've got to try." Graham replied. Looking to Colin and Colleen, he continued with, "Besides, I've already let these two down enough, lately. I won't do that to them, again. From now on…I'm gonna be the leader they deserve."

"You already are." Colleen spoke up.

"And you could never let us down." Colin added. "You've grown a lot in the last ten years. Even accepting being a Ranger was a huge step for you. The fact that you took it means the world to us. You don't have to be some amazing leader. Because you're already an amazing friend, _and_ Ranger."

Upon hearing these words, Graham said, "Y'know what? I think I love you guys."

Letting out a laugh, Colin replied, "Likewise, bud. Likewise."

* * *

Upon hearing all of this, Captain Shields turned to Lieutenant Woods before speaking.

"Do it, Lieutenant. Graham's gonna do it this time. I know he is."

"Roger that." Lieutenant Woods said with a salute. Typing in a long series of commands on his keyboard, he said, "Zords away!"

* * *

As the countdown grew shorter and shorter, the Rangers looked up, just in time to see the Zords launch out of the ground, just in time for a gigantic yellow portal to open up in the sky, dropping off a giant robot from Hyperspace.

Seeing this, Tireloid said, "That's my cue!" before vaulting into the air, materializing into the cockpit of the giant robot.

Rushing over to them, Nick opened up his briefcase, handing Colin and Colleen their Buddy-Capsules.

"Good luck," He told them.

"Thanks," Colin replied, before throwing his Buddy-Capsule on the ground to summon Banana. Colleen followed suite in order to summon Lettuce, and together, the three rangers pressed down the dials of their Morphin' Braces before speaking into them.

"Activate: Buddy-Roid, Console Mode!"

This caused the three Buddy-Roids to transform into their Console Modes, which the three Rangers promptly scooped up.

Jumping into their Zords, they each installed their Buddy Console into them, preparing for the battle to come.

"Let's try this again." Graham began, flipping a couple of switches. "Spy-Buster Megazord formation, activate!"

 **~Megazord Formation Sequence~**

Reaching up, Graham flips a couple of switches above his head, causing his Cheetah Zord to transform into a humanoid robot, sans a head and any arms. The pegs on the robot's shoulders expel steam as Colin and Colleen perform their own tasks to prepare the Megazord.

Driving and flying their Zords up the side of the robot, Colin and Colleen press a few buttons in order to form the arms of the Megazord.

Reaching up once more, Graham searches for a few moments before finding the right button, activating the head and completing the Megazord.

 **~End Megazord Formation Sequence~**

"I did it…" Graham breathed in shock. "I actually did it…"

Taking a few moments to celebrate internally, Graham and the others spoke in unison, saying, "Spy-Buster Megazord: Online!"

"So, you finally learned how to use your new toy," Tireloid said sarcastically. "Interesting…too bad I'm gonna have to break it."

"Not happening, you glorified tricycle!" Colin countered.

"I was a _motorcycle_ in my previous life, you buffoon!" Tireloid protested, causing Colleen to giggle somewhat.

"It doesn't matter what you were and neither does what you are, now." Graham began. "We're bringing you down-together."

"Let's do it!" Colin boomed, as they willed the Megazord forward.

"Listen up, guys." Lieutenant Woods said over their comms. "The Megazord's greatest power is its fists. However, its greatest weakness is defense-the thing weighs more than a skyscraper, and if it goes down, it's not the easiest thing in the world to get back to its feet."

"We'll keep that in mind." Graham told him.

"Eat energy blast, you insolent brats!" Tireloid shouted, firing numerous energy blasts from his robot.

Gripping the controls, the rangers managed to dodge most of the blasts, but the last two or three hit them dead on, staggering the Megazord. The three spent the next few moments struggling to regain the Megazord's balance.

"A dozen more hits like that, and you won't last!" Lieutenant Woods warned them. "You need to finish this, and quickly!"

"Roger that," Graham said, flipping a few switches above his head before turning to the other two, who were now sharing a larger cockpit with him inside the Megazord's head. "You guys ready to end this?"

"Yeah."

"Let's put him in the ground."

With that, Graham nodded, and they prepared their final attack.

"This is the end of line, Rangers!" Tireloid shouted, charging up one final energy blast to throw their way.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Graham countered.

"Spy-Buster Megazord: Victory Smash, charging!" The three Rangers shouted in unison, as the Megazord's fists began to grow a bright gold. As the glowing intensified, they shouted, "Victory Smash, away!"

Gripping the controls with all their might, they struck the air with the Megazord's fists, launching two golden beams of energy towards Tireloid. This prompted him to launch his energy blast at them, the three beams of energy clashing in mid-air.

Eventually, the Victory Smash won out, dissolving the energy blast as if it were nothing before crashing down on Tireloid's robot, causing it to spark uncontrollably.

"This…cannot…be happening!" He shouted, as the robot exploded, killing him once and for all.

"Alright! We did it!" Colleen chirped. "We won!"

Turning to Graham, Colin said, "Nice job, man."

"Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without you guys." Graham pointed out. "Thank you both-for never doubting me, even when I was at my breaking point."

"No problem!" Colleen told him, giving the boy a gigantic hug.

"Woah," Graham said, blushing a bit underneath his helmet.

After a few moments, Colleen finally broke the hug, causing him to rub the back on his neck awkwardly.

* * *

"They did it! They actually did it!" Lieutenant Woods cheered.

"Those kids may just make it, after all." Lieutenant Rose said quietly.

"You did good, today, Rangers." Captain Shields said, speaking into their comms. "You did good."

Standing up inside the cockpit of the Megazord, Graham folded his arms and said, "Mission: Complete!"

Walking over to Captain Shields' desk, Lieutenant Rose whispered in his ear, saying, "Sir, I need to talk to you. It's about Graham's weakpoint."

Looking around to make sure no one else was listening, the Captain replied, "Come with me."

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

"So…" Enter said to himself, tapping his chin as he re-watched footage of the day's battle with the Rangers, in particular, any footage featuring Graham. "His weakpoint is fear, huh…? Interesting…"

Standing up, he walked over to Psycho's uplink console, which flickered to life to show Psycho's twisted face.

"I am very satisfied with the data you've collected today, Enter." Psycho told him. "Now we move on to the Blue one."

"Understood." Enter said with a bow. "It will be done, Monsieur Psycho."

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, Graham, Colin, and Colleen can be seen in a large, gray expanse, all three of them watching a recording of their mothers' deaths with solemn looks on their faces. Out of nowhere, raindrops begin to fall, filling the screen with color as the vocals start.*)**_

 _ **~Take a breath, take a long look around before you step,**_

 _ **Cuz the tide is coming, swallowing the ground.~**_

 _ **(*Graham whips his head around desperately as water begins to fill the room, threatening to drown the three teens. Beating on the walls, he tries to break free, to no avail*)**_

 _ **~And there's no way to tell if we will drown tonight,**_

 _ **Or we'll be found tonight.~**_

 _ **(*An image of Graham, Colin, and Colleen's dead bodies drifting along in the water can be seen, only to disappear a moment later, the whole thing being revealed as a nightmare as Graham sits up in bed, screaming.*)**_

 _ **~So come in close, if the current gets us, then it get us both,**_

 _ **We can't wait here anymore.~**_

 _ **(*As Graham walks down the sidewalk, he spots Colleen off in the distance. Gazing at her longingly, he rushes over to her, only for a wall of solid energy to separate them, causing him to frown. The Vaglass come out of nowhere, storming the area and firing at them both. The two look up, realizing they have no choice but to fight.*)**_

 _ **~So if the waves come, let 'em take us,**_

 _ **As they cover you and me, and they pull us underneath.~**_

 _ **(*Graham, Colin, and Colleen rush to fight the Buglars, instantly morphing as they punch and kick the footsoldiers into submission. Seeing Enter, Graham charges him, slashing wildly. However, he is thrown onto his back by the Avatar, who walks up to him, pointing a laser pistol at his head. Demorphing, Graham grimaces, accepting his defeat.*)**_

 _ **~I hope that fate will forgive us, for tempting the sea,**_

 _ **I hope that they won't forget us!~**_

 _ **(*Graham turns to Colin and Colleen as the three are dragged into Hyperspace by Enter. No doubt, the three are to be executed for opposing the Vaglass. Bowing his head, Graham prays a desperate prayer, as Colleen looks at him, a single tear running down her cheek.*)**_

 _ **~No, we can't go back,**_

 _ **To the way it used to be.~**_

 _ **(*Waking up on the grass, Graham stands up, realizing it was all another dream. Looking to his right, he sees Colin and Colleen, the latter of the two waving him over with a smile. Taking a quick look at a picture of his mother in his pocket, Graham puts it away before joining his friends, a smile on his face despite himself. Seeing this, Colin pats him on the back, and Colleen reaches for his hand. Graham nervously takes it, squeezing it lightly as the three friends walk towards the sunset, the song ending as the camera pans away.*)**_

 ***End Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **A/N:** So there you have it! Episode three of Spy-Busters (Redux)! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please review with your thoughts, and remember to follow/favorite if you haven't already! Now, before I move on to the preview for next episode, here's a quick little list of all the references made in this chapter. Y'know, because.

 **[1]-** An innocent, not very subtle nod to Conner McKnight, one of my favorite Red Rangers of all time. Definitely my favorite character from Dino Thunder, and I think I provided a nice way to round off his character. He started out as the not very serious one who, well, didn't take anything seriously, and now, he's a high school gym teacher who, naturally, has to take his job seriously. I thought it'd be fitting for him to be a teacher, but then I remembered in SPD they state he became a pro soccer player in the future, so I just came up with the idea that he eventually retired and became a teacher afterwards. Makes sense to me. Plus it serves as a nice "Student becomes the Teacher" thing with him and Tommy, though their two fields of teaching are completely unrelated.

 **[2]-** A reference to one of my favorite wrestlers, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. This is one of his favorite catchphrases he used to say during the days before he left to become a movie star. There's a more subtle reference to him earlier in the chapter, but I'll save that for those of you with good eyes and the patience to find it.

With that out of the way, here's the episode preview! Sayonara!~

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** After Colin's weakpoint causes him to nearly kill Graham and Colleen, he vows never to use his Superstrength again. However, when the dangerous Burnerroid proves too tough for the two, it's up to our Blue Ranger to overcome his fear and use his power to save the day. Can he do it? Find out, in **Episode 4: The Beast Within!**


	4. Ep 4: The Beast Within

**A/N:** Hey guys, sorry this took so long. I finally got WiFi a few weeks ago and I had this about halfway done when I lost like, half my files, forcing me to start over. Thankfully, I sent the first little bit to two of my close friends via DocX, so thanks to that, I didn't have to start completely from scratch. Anyway, I've since transitioned to using Google Docs instead of Microsoft Word, so hopefully that won't happen again. Please read and review! Pwetty pwease? X3

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

"Okay, this is starting to look pretty bad…" A morphed Graham mumbled as he was backed into an alley by a Metaloid. The current battle was starting to go a little downhill, with him and Colleen being in a bit of a pinch.

"Agreed," Colleen said from beside him, keeping her Spy-Blaster trained on the Metaloid. Looking around, she said, "Hey, where's Colin? I haven't seen him in a few minutes."

"I don't know, I haven't seen him, either." Graham replied. "You think he's okay?"

Out of nowhere, a guttural growling could be heard as a morphed Colin charged the Metaloid from the left, tackling it to the ground so hard that it exploded on contact. Seeing the Blue Ranger, Graham rushed to meet him, happy to see that his friend was safe and sound.

"Alright! Nice work, CV, you really saved us back there!" Graham exclaimed excitedly, tilting his head in confusion when Colin only replied with a low, growling sound. "Uh, dude? You okay there?"

Snapping her head up in realization, Colleen cried, "Graham! Stay away from Colin! It's too-"

Letting out a roar, Colin thrust his arms into the air before bringing them back down to his sides, standing in a manner very similar to a gorilla. Clenching his fists, he stomped towards Graham, swinging his arms wildly in the Red Ranger's direction.

"What the-?!" Graham exclaimed, using his superspeed to narrowly dodge Colin's attacks. "What's going on?"

Rushing to Graham's side, Colleen said, "No time to explain! Just grab on to me, quickly!"

"Whatever you say," Graham said, awkwardly wrapping his arms around Colleen.

"Hang on!" She told him, using her superagility to jump up into the air with the Red Ranger on her back. Landing on a nearby rooftop, she immediately ducked, with Graham getting out of her back as the two tried to regain their breath.

"What…the heck…was that?" Graham managed to say, completely out of breath after the jump.

"Colin's weakpoint." Colleen explained, taking several shallow breaths as she attempted to re-energize. "When he uses too much of his strength or uses it for too long, his mind begins to…malfunction. He literally can't tell the difference between friend and foe in this state."

"Okay, that explains why he attacked me like that," Graham nodded, confirming that he was following her. "Still don't understand what's up with the whole 'gorilla-man' routine."

"Neither do I." Colleen admitted. "He does it every time he loses control of his power. To be one hundred percent honest with you…it's almost like he loses himself in that state. Almost like…he becomes some kind of beast."

"He must be a scary guy to live with," Graham joked, letting out an awkward chuckle when he realized Colleen didn't appreciate his attempt at lightening the mood. Looking around the rooftop, he continued by saying, "Guess it's a good thing that Colin can't get up here."

As soon as he said that, a great crashing sound could be heard, accompanied by a familiar growl. Looking behind them, Graham and Colleen were just in time to see the door to the rooftop bulging and warping, as if someone was ramming some giant object against it in order to break through it.

As the slamming sound continued and the growl grew more intense, the two realized with horror that Colin had somehow tracked them down, and was using brute force to bust straight past the door.

"Get away from the door!" Colleen warned Graham, just as Colin kicked the door right off its hinges.

Superspeeding to dodge the debris flying out of the doorway, Graham turned his heel and directed himself at Colin, grabbing his wrists and holding them in place with all his might as he attempted to reason with the Blue Ranger.

"C'mon, CV, snap out of it!" He said, grunting as he started to lose his grip on his friend. "It's me, Graham! Y'know, your friend?"

Growling in annoyance, Colin shoved the Red Ranger back, clearly not in control of his mind anymore. Stomping over to Graham with malicious intent, he scooped the boy up by his neck as his attempted to speed away, slowing down as fear sunk in, much like the last time he'd fought Enter.

"Colin, p-please…" Graham managed to stammer, struggling to breathe as the Blue Ranger held him up by his neck. "You're hurting me…"

"Colin!" Colleen screeched, getting her twin's attention. "Put him down! You're gonna kill him!"

Seeing that this did nothing to faze him, Colleen ran and vaulted into the air, kicking Colin's arm. This caused him to drop Graham, who landed roughly on the edge of the rooftop, barely able to stop himself from falling off the side of the roof.

Landing gracefully on her feet, Colleen launched herself at her brother, tackling him to the ground and holding him down by his arms.

"Colin, listen to me! We're not your enemies! Snap out of it!" She pleaded, trying desperately to break through to him. "You're confused. In pain. I get it. But we're not going to hurt you!"

The words finally getting through to him, Colin reached up to grip his head as he shouted in pain, a cloud of blue energy expelling itself from his body as his heavy, animalistic breathing slowed to match that of a normal human's. Demorphing, Colin blinked rapidly, looking as if he'd just woken up from a really long coma.

"What the…where the hell am I…?" He questioned, looking around at the destruction he'd caused as Colleen got off of him and demorphed, walking over to Graham and helping the Red Ranger back to his feet.

"Local rooftop." Graham told him. "It's a long story."

"I…I lost control again, didn't I…?" He asked, standing up and looking at Colleen. Seeing his sister turn her head in order to avert his gaze, he continued, saying, "And then…I tried to kill you guys…"

Running a hand through his thoroughly messed up hair, Colin narrowed his eyes, saying, "I'm…a monster…"

Letting out a sad sigh, Graham turned away, walking over to a nearby shed and opening it up to reveal a teleporter, which he used to warp back to HQ.

Colleen followed his lead, turning back to look at her twin with a sad look in her eyes before stepping inside the teleporter.

Clenching his fist, Colin slammed it into a brick wall, slowly stepping towards the teleporter as Enter watched on from afar.

"So that's the Blue one's weakness…interesting. Quite interesting, indeed." Enter said to himself, tapping his chin as a wicked smirk formed on his face. "It seems our little Blue friend may be ripe with learning opportunities, after all…"

Letting out an evil laugh, the Avatar warped away, a plan beginning to formulate itself in his mind.

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**_

 _ **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**_

 _ **(*Shots of Graham, Colin, and Colleen flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, and Colleen is riding a bike. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**_

 _ **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**_

 _ **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**_

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 _ **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**_

 _ **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**_

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist, as Colin and Colleen follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, the other two quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the three spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 _ **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*A shot of Graham, Colin, and Colleen each piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot piloted by a Metaloid is shown. Gripping the controls, the three each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**_

 _ **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing side by side, all three of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the three instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, the three rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 4: The Beast Within**

"Recognized: Graham, B-06."

"Recognized: Colleen, B-05."

"Man, my arm hurts like heck…" Graham mumbled as he stepped into the GPU's underground base, rubbing his arm while grimacing in slight pain. Looking to Colleen, he addressed her, saying, "I'm gonna hit the shower, I'll be right back."

"Alright." Colleen replied, stepping out behind him and watching the boy as he disappeared, heading for the men's locker room.

"Colleen, I'm gonna need a status report." Lieutenant Rose said as she stepped into the common area, holding a clipboard in her arms. "The Captain wants a play-by-play of what went down, today."

Hearing this, Colleen took a deep breath. She was about to open her mouth to speak, when suddenly, she was interrupted.

"Recognized: Colin, B-04." A computerized voice said over the loudspeaker, as the Blue Ranger finally arrived inside the base.

"I'll tell you what happened." He grumbled, stepping over to the two. "Me and my stupid weakpoint fucked things up for everyone again, that's what."

"Dude, watch your language." Graham told him as he walked back into the room, drying his hair off with a medium-sized towel. "Oh, and about the whole 'weakpoint' thing…can someone explain them to me in detail? I still don't fully understand them."

"I'd be glad to, Graham." Captain Shields said from out of nowhere, entering the room and approaching the Red Ranger. "Follow me."

* * *

"Alright, here's the deal." Captain Shields began, addressing the three teens inside the Command Room. "I've taken the liberty of pulling up old footage of you three using your powers. Graham, this is yours, watch closely."

With that, he turned and nodded to Lieutenant Woods, who typed in a series of commands on a keyboard at his station, causing the Command Room screen to display a video of seven year old Graham using his superspeed.

Graham watched intently as his younger self sped through an obstacle course, briskly making short-work of any of the stumbling blocks in his path.

Out of nowhere, a life-size model of a Buglar popped up in front of him, scaring him and causing him to screech to a halt. As the model slowly made its way towards him, he desperately tried to speed away, but couldn't gain any momentum. The last thing Graham saw before the video stopped was his younger self cowering in fear as the Buglar got closer and closer to him.

"After some careful research, I've determined that your weakpoint is fear." Captain Shields told him. "There's no limit to how fast you go, or how long you use your speed, but if you run into anything that frightens you in any way, you'll instantly lose all your momentum and won't be able to regain it for quite some time."

"I had a hunch that was his weakpoint." Colleen said, tapping her chin. Turning to Graham, she said, "When I helped you up after you slowed down during your fight with Enter, you were shaking."

"Was not!" Graham said with a light blush, embarrassment evident in his voice. "You just imagined it."

"Graham, it's okay to be scared. Fear is a natural human emotion, you shouldn't be embarrassed about it." Lieutenant Rose told him from her post.

"Yeah. Especially when it's Enter you're scared of." Lieutenant Woods chimed in. "I mean, he's wearing the face of a deceased GPU scientist, and on top of that, he can teleport anywhere at will. He's like a digital Jason Voorhees-you never know where he'll be next!"

"Alright, that's enough. We're getting sidetracked." Captain Shields told them. "Go ahead and play the footage of Colleen, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir." Lieutenant Woods said with a nod, typing in another series of commands in order to pull up said footage.

Colleen and the others watched as a video of seven year old Colleen using her superagility appeared on-screen. At first, she was doing great, jumping to insane heights, but after a few minutes, she knelt on the ground, falling unconscious almost as if she'd just passed out from hunger.

"Colleen's weakpoint is a bit more sophisticated." Captain Shields began. "See, when she got hit by the energy blast, she developed her superagility, but she also gained what we like to call an 'internal engine'. This internal engine is sort of like an invisible second stomach. Any and all sugar and caffeine that Colleen consumes is absorbed into it, in order to power her ability and give her more energy. However, if she over-exerts herself, she'll pass out from exhaustion, so she needs to eat candy or some form of sweet food every hour or so in order to keep that from happening."

"Interesting…is that why you ate all of my Sour Patch Kids the other day?" Graham joked, a smirk on his face.

"Hey, you said you wanted to share!" Colleen countered.

"Yeah, share, not give you the entire bag." Graham said with a chuckle.

"We'd just gotten out of gym!" Colleen protested with a light blush on her face. "I was tired!"

"Relax, I'm just teasing."

"Oh. Right…" She said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Would you two quit flirting?" Colin questioned, seeming a little annoyed. Turning to Graham, he said, "Pay attention! You wanted to know about our weakpoints, remember?"

"I wasn't flirting!" Graham said rather quickly, blushing lightly.

"You're being really rude." Colleen told him, trying to hide a blush of her own. "I don't know why you're so upset. They're our weakpoints. We can't control them."

"That's exactly why I'm upset!" Her twin countered. "I never asked for this power in the first place; it seemed cool, so I didn't question it! But if I lose control of my mind every time…I just...what's the point of having superstrength if you can't even use it?"

With that, Colin turned and stormed off, heading for who knows where. Colleen was about to follow her brother, when Graham held his arm out to stop her, cutting her off.

"He's really upset, Colleen." He told her. "He just needs time to cool off. After all, that worked for me, didn't it?"

"I guess so…" Colleen said, unsure of herself.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Graham said with a smile, waving to the Yellow Ranger before turning and walking away, heading for the teleporter.

"Yeah, see ya!" Colleen replied, waiting for him to leave before rubbing her arm and looking downward, a small frown forming on her face. "Why can't I be as self-assured as he is…?"

* * *

"God, I can't believe this shit!" Colin exclaimed as he walked down the sidewalk in his neighborhood, stopping at his apartment building and heading inside. Walking up the stairs to his floor, he used his key to open up the apartment he shared with Captain Shields and his sister, stepping inside and slamming the door before locking it. "This is retarded!"

Hearing a mechanical whirring sound, Colin stopped in his tracks, furrowing his eyebrows in slight confusion. Walking into the kitchen, he saw his Buddy-Roid, Banana, who appeared to be dusting the apartment for…some reason.

"Banana?" He asked.

"Oh, hi, Colin!" Banana said excitedly, his face (literally) lighting up at the sight of his human counterpart. "Good to see ya!"

"It's good to see you, too, but…what're you doing here?" Colin questioned, still a little confused.

"Well, nothing much. Just cleaning the apartment." Banana told him. "Y'know how Cheetah Nick can transform into a motorcycle? Well, I may not be able to do that, but I'm still a Buddy-Roid, so I obviously have a special skill besides my standard friendship parameters. Mine is cleaning."

"What's Lettuce's?"

"Heck if I know," Banana said with a shrug, eliciting a laugh from the boy. "Besides being a nuisance…anyway, I didn't have anything better to do, today, and Captain Shields has been talking about how messy the apartment was getting, so I figured I'd do him a favor and come tidy it up. Thought he'd appreciate it with Sonia coming and all."

"Oh, right. She's coming home for New Year's Eve…" Colin said at the mention of Captain Shields' daughter, his cheeks appearing somewhat flushed. His lips formed into a toothless grin, which faded away moments later as the memory of the day's battle came back to his mind, haunting him once more. "Almost forgot…"

Tilting his head in concern, Banana said, "Is something troubling you?"

"Who, me? Nah," Colin lied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "What makes you say that?"

"I am programmed to observe and catalogue all your emotions, y'know. Every time I'm with you, I monitor your heart rate, body temperature, body language, and scan for any irregularities in order to do the best job possible keeping you happy and healthy." Banana said matter-of-factly. "I can tell something's wrong, so just spill the beans. You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I trust you, you're my buddy." Colin said, feeling a twinge of guilt at the idea that Banana thought he didn't want to confide in him. "It's just…I screwed up, today. My weakpoint got the better of me, again."

"During training?"

"During a mission." Colin told him, causing the robot to wince.

"Ooh, that couldn't have ended well."

"It didn't. I almost killed Graham." Colin said, gripping the sides of his head in frustration. "One of my best friends, and the leader of the team, and I almost choked him to death! Heck, he'd be dead right now if Colleen hadn't snapped me out of it! I try to control it, but I can't! It's just…too powerful."

"I'm sure you can find a way." Banana said optimistically. "You always find a way."

"This is different, Banana." Colin told his Buddy-Roid. "Not everything is so simple."

Sighing, Banana said, "You are such a pessimist."

Shrugging his shoulders, Colin said, "Hey, I'd rather be prepared for the sky to fall than to be caught off-guard if it does. That's just me."

"If you say so," Banana sighed, grabbing an apple before turning back to Colin. "Here, eat this healthy snack, you need to relax a bit."

"Whatever you say," Colin replied, catching the apple as Banana tossed it to him. "I'll see you later, dude."

"You'd better," Banana said, pouting somewhat as his human counterpart left. "I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me…"

 _Maybe Banana is right…_ Colin thought to himself, his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts as he walked down his neighborhood's sidewalk. _Maybe I should lighten up a bit…_

* * *

Meanwhile, at a gas station across town…

"Next," A middle-aged woman said from behind the counter, as her previous customer left and the next one stepped up. Looking at him, she said, "Alright, how I may I help you?"

"Pack of cigarettes, please." The young man said, looking to be in his mid to late twenties. **[1]**

"Regular or Menthol?"

"Menthol.

"Alright, that'll be $6.00." The woman said, causing the young man to grumble as he went for his wallet.

" _Man, that's ridiculous…_ " He muttered under his breath, lightly slamming a ten dollar bill on the counter as the woman reached up and procured his cigarettes.

"Have a nice day," She said, handing him the cigarettes, along with his receipt and change.

"Yeah, whatever…" He replied unenthusiastically, taking his purchase from her before leaving.

" _Jackass…_ " She whispered to herself, looking up to see another customer step up to the counter. "Hello, sir, how may I help you?"

"Fifteen on Pump 2, please," Enter replied in a southern accent, disguised as a trucker.

"Alright, 15 on 2, got it." She said, pressing a few buttons on her computer terminal. Looking back at him, she asked, "Do you want regular or diesel?"

"Oh, neither. I'll be fueling up with Enertron." Enter replied, tipping his trucker hat to her.

"Sir, I think you're confused." She replied. "We use Enertron to power the gas station; we don't fuel vehicles with it."

"No, I think it's _you_ who's confused." Enter told her, switching to his normal French accent as his disguise faded away, revealing his trademark outfit complete with goggles atop his head. "I'm not fueling a vehicle, now give me the Enertron."

Growing frightened, the woman managed to stammer, "S-Sir, it's not that simple. I can't sell Enertron to customers-it's _illegal_. We have to have a license to even have it in the first place and-"

"-Say no more." Enter interjected, placing a hand on her shoulder. Said hand was emitting small sparks of electricity.. "Don't sweat it, miss."

Falling silent, the woman slipped to the floor, having been knocked unconscious. Grinning from ear to ear, Enter hopped over the counter, touching her face and copying her appearance. He then proceeded to change his disguise, accordingly.

Cracking his fingers, he typed a series of commands into the computer terminal the woman had been operating, successfully authorizing the transfer of Enertron.

"Perfect," He said to himself, heading back outside and walking over to Pump 2. Placing an Enertron Storage Tank on the ground, he picked up the nozzle and inserted it into the container, filling it full of the experimental energy source. "Now I just need a Metaloid…"

Looking over, he saw a metal shelf full of propane tanks. Getting an idea, he walked over, pulling out his trusty laptop and performing the necessary steps to install a Metavirus into one of the propane tanks.

Within minutes, the propane tank had transformed into a humanoid, fire-themed robot. He had translucent green spikes resembling fire coming out of his head, and where his right arm should've been sat a arm-cannon connected to a fire tank on his back by a long, clear wire.

"Come with me," Enter told the newborn Metaloid, swapping to his default appearance and outfit before ducking into a nearby alley. The Metaloid followed closely behind.

"Why, howdy there, pardner!" The Metaloid greeted in a southern accent. "Mah name's Burnerloid!" **[2]**

"Nice to meet you, Burnerloid." Enter said with a slight bow. "I have a mission for you, straight from the mouth of the great Monsieur Psycho. Have you ever heard of the Blue Ranger…?"

* * *

Arriving at the city park, Colin breathed in the fresh air, before taking a seat on a nearby a bite of his apple, he swallowed it before letting out a chuckle.

" _Funny how it takes an existential crisis for me to wanna spend any time outdoors…"_ Colin said to himself, a smirk on his face as he continued to eat his apple.

Finishing the tasty fruit, the teen tossed the core in the direction of a nearby trash-can. However, before it could land inside, it was snatched up in mid-air by the arriving Burnerloid, who twisted it around in his hand, examining it closely.

"So, this here in an apple, huh? _Gross_ …" Burnerloid observed, causing Colin to roll his eyes.

"Actually, that's the _core_. We don't eat that-" Colin began, his eyes widening as he realized he was talking to a Metaloid. "-part...uh oh…"

"So ya recognize me, eh pardner?" Burnerloid asked, as everyone but Colin ran away from the park, screaming. "Yer that Blue Ranger I heard about, ain't cha?"

"Who, me? Nah," Colin lied, acting as if he were oblivious.

"Don't play games with me!" Burnerloid shouted, throwing the apple core and causing it to hit the side of the trashcan. This resulted in it falling over, spilling all of the trash inside.

Clenching his fist at this site, Colin turned to Burnerloid, saying, "Hey, asshole! Didn't anyone ever tell you not to litter? It's not good for the environment!"

"Is that so? I'm sorry; I'll clean it up." Burnerloid said sarcastically, lighting the trash on fire with his flame-arm. "Y'know what they say, pardner. Ain't nothing more cleansing than fire!"

"Dude, not cool!" Colin exclaimed, rushing over to a nearby water fountain and using his superstrength to rip it out of the ground. This caused water to spray everywhere, putting out the fire as Colin said, "No pun intended…"

"Yer mighty strong for someone claiming _not_ to be the Blue Ranger!" Burnerloid said. "The search is over! I've found mah prize!"

"I don't know what your deal is, bozo, but I'm not in the mood." Colin grumbled, brandishing his Morphin' Brace. "Let's get this over with...Install: Spy-Busters!"

Performing the necessary steps, Colin instantly transformed into Buster Blue, taking a fighting stance as Burnerloid watched, looking very pleased.

"I knew you were the Blue Ranger! Now...face mah wrath!" He said, summoning a small army of Buglars.

"Oh, would you knock it off with that accent, already…" Colin groaned, clenching his fists and preparing for the fight at hand.

Using a series of punches, kicks, and jabs, he made short work of the footsoldiers, demolishing them in a matter of minutes.

"That there was mighty impressive! But…" Burnerloid began, aiming his flame-arm at Colin and firing a burst of fireballs his way. "I bet ya can't take the heat!"

Narrowly dodging the fireballs, Colin said, "Man that is such a lame pun...WOAH!"

Caught off guard by a larger, final fireball, Colin found himself knocked to the ground, wincing in pain as he rolled down a nearby hill. Struggling to stand, the Blue Ranger clenched his fist, thoroughly annoyed, now.

"Alright, now you're gonna get it…" Colin muttered, trying with all his might to stand back up. However, before he could, he was interrupted by the arrival of the morphed Graham and Colleen, who rushed to his side.

"Colin, are you alright?" Colleen asked, concerned for her twin.

"I'm fine…" Colin grunted.

"Don't worry, man." Graham said, seeing how exhausted Colin clearly was. "We'll take it from here."

"Ah, ya'll must be them there Red and Yellow Rangers!" Burnerloid observed. "Nice of ya to join in...here, have some toys to play with!"

With that, he summoned more Buglars, who immediately charged the two. Graham and Colleen immediately summoned their weapons, preparing to take out the footsoldiers.

"Man, these guys sure are annoying…" Graham mumbled, using his Spy-Saber to deliver a series of back-handed slashes to the Buglars surrounding him.

"You've got that right!" Colleen replied, gunning down her own group of Buglars. "Let's finish 'em off so we can move on to the Metaloid!"

"Right on!" Graham said in agreement, pressing a button on the side of his Spy-Saber. "Spy-Saber: Stakeout...SLASH!"

Charging his Spy-Saber with golden energy, he unleashed it in a single swipe, absolutely decimating his opponents. At the same time, Colleen twisted a mechanism on the lense of her Spy-Blaster, charging up her own finishing attack.

"Spy-Blaster: Snapshot...STRIKE!" She hollered, pulling the trigger and unleashing a beam of golden energy that cut through the remaining Buglars like a knife through butter.

"So, ya beat mah friends." Burnerloid said, having watched the whole thing. "Interesting...but yer friend in Blue did that, too, and he still ended up in the scrapheap when he came after me. I'd like to see you two yahoos do any better."

"Challenge accepted, tin can!" Graham said in response, superspeeding towards the Metaloid.

Before he could get close enough to attack, Burnerloid smacked him aside, laughing as he did.

"That there superspeed is purty cool!" Burnerloid boomed. "But get a load of this!"

With that, he discharged a gust of fire Graham's way, causing him to speed away in an attempt to avoid it. However, as the fire began to nip at his heels, fear sunk in, and the Red Ranger soon found himself frozen in place, unable to move.

"How weak!" Burnerloid said, knocking him down the hill before shifting his focus to Colleen. "Now, it's yer turn!"

Colleen did a little better of a job avoiding the fire, using her superagility to jump out of the way of Burnerloid's attacks; however, before long, she began to grow tired, and she soon fell unconscious, joining Graham and Colin at the bottom of the hill.

Enraged at the sight of his twin sister being harmed, Colin stood back up, clenching his fists.

Running uphill, he launched himself at Burnerloid, saying, "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!"

"I reckon I won't," Burnerloid said, grabbing Colin's fist mid-swing and using the leverage to hold the Blue Ranger in place. "See, I know all yer secrets, Blue Ranger. If yer not careful...yer friends could wind up hurt, or worse...they could wind up _dead_."

"Dammit, you're right…" Colin said slowly, looking down as he voluntarily demorphed. "You...win…"

"Yer damn right I do!" Burnerloid hollered, tossing Colin back down the hill. "Now, pack yer bags! We're about to head to mah boss' lair; we got some experimenting to do!"

* * *

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Captain Shields yelled from his post, watching the battle on the Command Room's holoscreen. Turning to Lieutenant Rose, he said, "Lieutenant, get them out of there!"

"Yes sir!" Lieutenant Rose replied, typing in a series of commands in order to authorize the emergency teleportation.

* * *

Seeing all three rangers warping away, Burnerloid said, "Darn...ah well. I was running out of juice, anyway. Time to get a resupply."

With that, he headed for Enter's warehouse, ending the threat on the city for at least a little while.

* * *

The next morning, Colin woke up in cold sweat, breathing heavily as his eyes darted around the room, scanning it for any possible threats. Upon realizing he was in his room in Captain Shields' apartment, he calmed down, reaching for his glasses and putting them on before peeling the covers off of his body.

"Argh, my head…what the heck happened…?" Colin groaned, rubbing his temples with his right hand. With his eyes open wide in realization, he shouted, "Burnerloid!"

Scrambling out of his bed, Colin quietly opened his door and slipped out into the hall, cracking Colleen's bedroom door open to see that the girl was indeed alive and well.

Sighing in relief, he silently retreated back to his own room, reaching underneath his pillow for his phone before dialing Graham's number.

As he stood there waiting, he impatiently tapped his foot, saying, "C'mon, pick up…"

"Hello?" Graham's voice said over the phone, indicating that he had answered.

"Oh thank god, you're alright!" Colin exclaimed, running a hand through his hair. "I was so worried about what happened to you after I blacked out…"

"Oh, you mean during the battle? Nah dude, I'm fine." Graham assured him. "Are you and Colleen okay?"

"Yeah, we're good."

"Okay then," Graham said, sounding relieved. "So, is that all, or do you have something important to say? I'm sort of in the middle of Youth Group; I had to duck into the restroom to even answer your call."

"Oh, it's important. Trust me." Colin told him. "How am I supposed to beat Burnerloid?"

"...I don't know." Graham said, letting out a bit of a sigh.

"Well, how did you beat Tireloid?"

"With a lot of training. And somes pep talks from my cousin and two really good friends." Graham said. "Listen, have you ever tried to control your weakpoint?"

"What, you mean like, reason with it?" Colin questioned. "The alternate personality lurking within me that's basically akin to the Incredible Hulk?"

"Yeah," Graham began, trying to be helpful. "Have you ever tried it?"

"Sort of…" Colin said, tapping his chin. "Every time the transition starts, I get into sort of a mental debate with it. I kind of try to tell it who's boss."

"Does it ever listen?"

"No...at least, not at first. It takes control, and puts me in the backseat for awhile. It's kind of like seeing someone else's life from first-person, except I can feel _everything_ it does while it has free reign. It usually ends with someone else convincing it to calm down."

"Colleen?"

"Most of the time. Though there've been a few times where it didn't listen to her. That's when Sonia came in…" Colin told him, blushing a bit at the thought of her.

"Captain Shields' daughter? She's kind of like a second sister to you, right?"

"Sort of," Colin replied. "It's a bit more complicated than that…"

"You have feelings for her?"

"I NEVER SAID THAT!" Colin denied, thanking the universe that Graham couldn't see the gigantic blush on his face.

"Nevermind then," Graham said, rolling his eyes a bit. "Look, all I'm saying is, try to communicate with it. You might be able to convince it to lend you its strength, instead of borrowing your body for a rampage like last time."

"Okay…" Colin said, a hint of skepticism still in his voice. "I'll try."

"Alright then. Talk to you later, CV. I've gotta get back to class before Cameron comes looking for me."

"Later," Colin echoed, as Graham hung up the phone.

Walking towards the door, he exited his room and tiptoed out of the apartment, stepping into a hidden teleporter in a nearby ally. Using it, he warped away, heading for GPU Headquarters.

* * *

"Recognized: Colin, B-04."

Stepping out of the teleporter and into the GPU's common room, Colin dropped into a crouching position, sneaking stealthily out of the room and into the hall.

Using his stealth, he snuck into a nearby gym, where Banana just so happened to be cleaning.

Seeing his human counterpart, Banana said, "Colin? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing." Colin replied, pulling out his phone and turning on some music before setting it down. "Anyway, you up for some training?"

* * *

 ***Cue Training Montage Song: "Dare" by Stan Bush**

As Colin's workout song began, he grabbed a pair of heavy weights and carried them with him to a metal bench in the corner. Sitting down, he began to lift the weights, as Banana stood over him, spotting him.

 _ **~Sometimes when your hopes have all been shattered, and there's nowhere to turn,**_

 _ **You wonder how you'll keep going! (Going)~**_

Working up a sweat, Colin set the weights down and moved on to the bench press. Banana continued to spot him as he began his first rep.

 _ **~Think of all the things that really mattered, and the chances you've earned,**_

 _ **The fire in your heart is growing! (Growing)~**_

Moving on to a punching bag, Colin swung at it with all his might, with each hit and jab threatening to tear the piece of equipment right off of its hinges.

 _ **~You can fly, if you try leaving the past behind,**_

 _ **Heaven only knows what you might find!~**_

Next, Colin hopped onto the treadmill, pushing himself to his absolute limit as Banana watched him in awe.

 _ **~Dare! Dare to believe you can survive,**_

 _ **You hold the future in your hand!~**_

As his eyes began to glow dark blue, Colin suppressed his feral side, dropping to the ground and performing a series of push-ups in an attempt to get it to submit.

 _ **~Dare! Dare to keep all your dreams alive,**_

 _ **It's time to take a stand…**_

 _ **And you can win, if you dare!~**_

 ***End Training Montage Song: "Dare" by Stan Bush***

As he finished his workout, Colin succeeded in keeping control of his mind, using his superstrength to toss his stopwatch at the wall. It hit the wall so hard that it dented it.

Seeing, Banana turned to him and said, "You're ready."

Hearing an alarm blaring over the intercom system, Colin headed for the door, saying, "I'll be back."

With that, he left the gym, teleporting back into the city in order to meet Burnerloid head on.

* * *

"This is it…" Colin said to himself, as he spotted Tireloid running amok outside one of the city's Enertron Storage Facilities. "It's time for me to settle the score!"

"Not without me, it isn't!" Colleen hollered, running to meet her twin. "I'm your sister; did you _really_ think I'd let you face this alone?"

"I uh…"

"Sorry I'm late!" Graham said, coming to a halt in front of the two before doubling over, trying to regain his breath. "I came as soon as I could…"

"That's fine, but...what are you wearing?" Colin asked, gesturing to Graham's outfit, which consisted of a blue, button-down dress-shirt with a yellow tie overtop of a white, short-sleeved t-shirt, gray dress pants with a leather belt, and black dress shoes with matching socks.

"Church clothes…" Graham said, rubbing the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. "I didn't have time to change after class…"

"Well ain't that a pity!" Burnerloid said sarcastically, interrupting the three. "Guess that means ya won't be at full capacity, huh pardner?"

"Like something as simple as _clothes_ could hinder us from kicking your mechanical ass," Colin said. Turning to the other two, he continued with, "Guys, let me handle Burnerloid. My weakpoint and I have got a bone to pick with him."

"You mean you can control it now?!" Colleen questioned, excited at the prospect of her brother mastering his weakpoint.

"Sortof...I'm not positive. But I have to try," Colin began, clenching his fist. "My pride is on the line, here! It's time I fought for it."

"And it's about time I beat the pride right outta ya!" Burnerloid countered, summoning a battalion of Buglars. "Buglars, attack!"

"Alright guys, let's-"

"-Wait a sec, can I say it?" Colin asked, interrupting Graham. "Just this once?"

"Go for it," Graham said, nodding in approval.

"Alright then." Colin said with a smile, brandishing his Morphin' Brace. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Morphing Sequence~**

"Savannah Hunter! Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior! Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper! Buster Yellow!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!"

As they finished their role call, Graham said, "Objective: Take out the Buglars and support Colin as he settles the score with Burnerloid! Ready…?"

"GO!" Colin finished, charging towards the Metaloid as fast as he could.

"You heard the man!" Graham said, looking to Colleen as he summoned his Spy-Blaster. "Let's do this!"

"Right on!" Colleen hollered, following his lead and using her own Spy-Blaster to blast away at the Buglars as they approached her.

While they took care of the footsoldiers, Colin headed straight for Burnerloid, punching him a couple of times while saying, "Take...this...jackass!"

"Uh uh uh, watch yer temper there, now." Burnerloid said, knocking the Blue Ranger back before sarcastically wagging his finger at him. "After all, ya wouldn't want that there weakpoint of yers to act up, would ya?"

"Shut your hole!" Colin demanded, shocking the Metaloid. "I've got it under control now, and if you think I'm gonna let you get away with what you did to my friends yesterday...YOU'RE WRONG!"

With that, he charged headfirst towards Burnerloid, summoning all his might from within.

 _Weakpoint, I know you're in there…_ Colin thought to himself. _I know you wanna take over and rampage the second I start swinging my fists, but this is bigger than me and you. We need to work together if we're ever gonna beat this guy, so please...LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH!_

Stopping in his tracks, Colin let out a blood-curdling scream, the deep blue glow of his eyes shining straight through the visor of his helmet.

"Colin!" Colleen shouted in concern, not realizing what was happening. Defeating the rest of the Buglars, she said, "I'm coming, just hold on-"

"Don't," Graham interrupted, putting his arm out to block her. Gesturing towards Colin, he said, "He's doing it."

"Huh?" Colleen asked, squinting in order to get a better grasp of the situation.

What she saw amazed her. Colin's eyes were glowing, indicating that he was using his superstrength at its maximum potential, but he was behaving normally, meaning he wasn't losing control of himself.

"He did it…" Colleen realized, in awe of his accomplishment. "He actually did it!"

"I never had any doubt in my mind," Graham added. "All he needed to do was try."

Winding up his arms, Colin pointed to Burnerloid and said, "Listen up, bozo, cuz I'm not gonna repeat myself! Get ready to have your ass handed to you! I'm done playing around!"

"Don't bite off more than ya can chew, pardner!" Burnerloid countered, charging up his flame-arm before aiming it at the Blue Ranger. "Ya may wind up biting the dust!"

With that, he fired an enormous fireball, sending it spiralling through the air in Colin's direction. Acting quickly, Colin jumped into the air, front-flipping to avoid the attack and remaining unfazed as the projectile exploded behind him.

"Woah! He didn't even flinch!" Colleen observed. "Incredible!"

"He's withstanding more damage than a tank!" Graham added. "This is amazing!"

"If you think that's impressive, check this out!" Colin hollered, summoning all his might. "I'm gonna turn this guy into scrap metal!"

"I'd like to see ya try!" Burnerloid boomed, as Colin rushed towards him.

"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" Colin growled, lifting both fists in the air and slamming them into the ground, creating a shockwave that sent the Metaloid flying.

"Man, yer starting to become a pain in my hide…" Burnerloid grumbled, struggling to his feet. "I reckon it's time to teach ya a lesson!"

"No thanks," Colin said, as Graham and Colleen rushed to his side. Turning to them, he said, "Let's finish this."

Summoning his Spy-Blaster, he twisted the mechanism on the lense, causing the barrel to glow a bright gold. Following suite, Graham and Colleen did the same, and the three spoke in unison as their final attack finished charging up.

"Spy-Blaster: Snapshot...STRIKE!" They shouted in unison, pulling their triggers and causing three rays of light to cut through Burnerloid like tissue paper.

"NO!" He shouted, falling back down to the ground before exploding.

"Alright, you did it!" Graham exclaimed.

"Nice work, bro!" Colleen chirped, giving her twin a gigantic hug.

"Thanks, guys." Colin said, before their morphers went off. Seeing a countdown timer, he said, "We're not out of the woods yet, though! Incoming transfer!"

* * *

Having watched the battle from the Command Room, Captain Shields turned to Lieutenant Woods, saying, "Lieutenant, you know what to do."

"Roger that," Lieutenant Woods said with a salute. "Launching the Zords!"

* * *

"Well, we all know the drill by now," Graham said, as Enter revived Burnerloid from afar. "Let's form the Megazord and finish him for good!"

"Right!" Colin and Colleen said in unison, ending their hug and jumping into their Zords as they emerged from the ground.

"Yer about to regret crossing me, pardner!" Burnerloid shouted, boarding the giant robot that fell from the sky...

"I severely doubt he will," Graham countered, boarding his own Zord. "He's got us to back him up! Spy-Buster Megazord Formation: Activate!"

 **~Megazord Formation Sequence~**

"Spy-Buster Megazord: Online!" The three rangers said in unison, transferring to a larger, centralized cockpit. **[3]**

"Alright, guys, let's take the fight to him!" Graham said, gripping the controls tightly. "Give him everything you've got!"

"Roger that!" Colin and Colleen said simultaneously, willing the Megazord forward. Delivering a hard jab to Burnerloid's robot they said, "Take that!"

"Oww!" Burnerloid whined, as his robot staggered backward. "No fair, yer cheating!"

"No, _you're_ the one who cheated by playing mindgames with CV!" Graham argued.

"Yeah, that was cruel!" Colleen agreed, sticking up for her twin. "You're gonna pay for that!"

With that, they lifted the Megazord's arms up before slamming them down onto the back of Burnerloid's robot, sending it crashing down to the ground. Lifting up the Megazord's leg, they planted it firmly on top of the giant robot, crushing it slightly.

"You punks...are getting on...mah last nerve!" Burnerloid grunted, willing his robot back to its feet and sending the Megazord flying into the Enertron Storage Facility.

Hitting the side of the building, the Megazord tore it open slightly, bringing it back to Burnerloid's attention.

"Y'know, I just attacked this here facility in order to lure ya out, but while I'm here, I might as well take some Enertron for mah troubles. I reckon I'll kill you three first, otherwise you'll continue to get in mah way."

"That's not happening! Enertron is a precious resource that makes our lives better; I won't allow it to be used for your evil purposes!" Colin shouted, his voice full of conviction. "It's time I put you to rest- _forever!_ "

With that, he gripped the controls as hard as he could, willing the Megazord forward while charging their final attack.

"Spy-Buster Megazord: Victory Smash, Charging!" The three rangers shouted in tandem, as the Megazord's fists began to glow a bright gold. As the glowing intensified, they shouted again, saying, "Victory Smash, Away!"

Striking the air with its fists, the Megazord launched two golden beams of energy at Burnerloid's robot, piercing its armor and causing it to fall apart.

"No, this isn't happening!" Burnerloid shouted in disbelief, frantically looking around the cockpit of his robot as it fell apart around him. "What about...mah reward?!"

Those were the final words he spoke before his robot exploded, propelling him out the front and to the ground below, where gravity kicked in, destroying him once and for all.

Seeing this, the three rangers jumped up and cheered, high-fiving eachother in a form of celebration.

"Mission: Complete!" Graham said calmly, folding his arms.

"Nice work, Rangers." Captain Shields congratulated, tapping into their comms. "Now come back to base and get cleaned up; I've got a surprise for you."

Tilting his head, Colin asked, "And that is…?"

"A party!" Captain Shields said, as if it were obvious. "What, did you three forget that it was New Year's Eve?"

Upon hearing this, Colleen said, "You hear that, Colin?! We're gonna have a New Year's Eve party!"

"Haha, awesome!" Colin chirped, pumping his fist. Turning to look at Graham, he said, "C'mon, Graham, be excited with us."

"You don't have to ask me twice," Graham said, standing up at his post and walking over to the others. Giving Colin and Colleen both high-fives, he said, "3, 2, 1…"

"POWER RANGERS!" The three exclaimed in unison, laughing and giggling at the sheer ridiculousness of the phrase.

* * *

Later that night, at Captain Shield's apartment, Graham was in the kitchen, getting a drink as the New Year's Eve party went on strong.

Pouring himself a cup of Mountain Dew, he carried it with him as he walked over to Colin, trying to get the other boy's attention.

"So, this is a pretty great party, huh?"

"Yeah, sure," Colin replied absentmindedly, not really paying attention as he gazed at someone across the room. Following the Blue Ranger's eyes, Graham spotted who he was staring at-a tall, Caucasian female with pale white skin, long, curly blonde hair with pink highlights, and baby blue eyes. She wore an outfit consisting of a white blouse underneath a black, sleeveless vest, a white skirt with hot pink trim, black leggings, and white high-heeled shoes. To top it all off, she also wore black framed glasses.

Catching on almost immediately, Graham said, "So, that's Sonia, huh?"

Snapping out of his daze, Colin turned to Graham, saying, "What, you mean you've never seen her perform?"

"Nope. I've heard her on the radio, though." Graham told him. "She's a very gifted singer. Not to mention pretty. You've got good taste, man."

"I told you, I don't like her like that!" Colin shouted, blushing slightly. "It's like you said; she's like my second sister."

"Really now?" Graham asked matter-of-factly, his hands on his hips. "'Cuz right now, you're kind of staring at her like my Uncle Scott apparently looked at my Aunt Tammy the night he turned to his best friend and said, 'You see that girl, dude? I'm gonna marry her'."

"Would you keep it down a bit?!" Colin asked, covering his friend's mouth in an attempt to keep him quiet. "I've seen _you_ look at a certain someone like that, _too_!"

"What's that supposed to mean…?" Graham questioned, utterly oblivious. "I don't have a crush on anyone."

"Forget it, it's not important. Anyway, you caught me." Colin admitted, taking a deep breath. "I...I like Sonia, alright? I have for a really long time, now."

"Like, how long…?

"Like, since before I knew you could 'like' someone in that way," Colin replied. "I've been in love with her longer than I can remember."

"Well, then what's stopping you? Y'know, from making a move?"

"Well, for starters, her career." Colin began, sighing. "I mean, she's one of the country's _biggest_ pop stars. She's really famous, not to mention _super-cute_. Compared to most of the guys she must hang out with in LA, I'm not much to fawn over."

"Maybe not in the looks department, but that's not the end-all, be-all. Girls aren't that simple." Graham pointed out. "Sure, they're looking for someone attractive, but they want someone who's smart, nice, and funny, too. Plus, my Aunt says that if you love someone, you'll find beauty in them, no matter how they look."

"I guess that's true," Colin said, taking this information in. "Still, it wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

"Because...because of the way we were raised." Colin relented, letting out a sad sigh. "I might like _her_ in that way, but I know for a fact she only sees me as a brother. I just know it."

"Have you ever asked?"

"Not really, but I don't think I have to." Colin replied, causing Graham to wince.

"A guy who brother-zones _himself_ , huh? Never thought I'd love to see the day…"

"Ah, shaddup." Colin said jokingly. "Why don't you leave me alone and go talk to your match made in heaven?"

"Okay, seriously, WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Graham exclaimed in exasperation, causing Colleen to laugh at the two's antics from across the room.

"You guys are a riot!" Colleen giggled, not having any idea what they were talking about.

"Alright, gang, it's ten seconds to midnight!" Captain Shields announced, causing everyone to go silent. "Let's count down together, okay?"

"10,"

"9,"

"8,"

"7,"

"6,"

"5,"

"4,"

"3,"

"2,"

"1!" Everyone shouted in unison, as the clock officially struck midnight.

Seeing this, Lieutenant Woods looked down at his shoes, mumbling, "Dangit, another year with no one to kiss at midnight...what a rib…"

He was completely caught off guard when Lieutenant Rose pecked him on the cheek, saying, "There you are, Martin. Your first New Year's kiss. Happy now?"

"What was that for, Alicia?" Lieutenant Woods asked, slightly confused. "I thought you hated holiday traditions,"

"Yeah, but it's for a friend." Lieutenant Rose said with a shrug. "Happy New Year, Lieutenant."

"Happy New Year, Alicia!" Lieutenant Woods chirped, waiting until his coworker left before holding his hand to the cheek she'd kissed. " _That was sweet...and weird…_ "

Watching this unfold, Captain Shields let out a sad sigh, being reminded of the kisses he and his wife shared on New Year's before her tragic death.

Sensing his sadness, Sonia came out of nowhere, saying, "Happy New Year, daddy! I love you!"

Smiling, Captain Shields said, "I love you too, princess. Happy New Year."

Watching his daughter as she returned to the party, laughing and enjoying herself, Captain Shields smirked, thinking of the happy memories he shared not only with his own daughter, but with Colin and Colleen as he raised them over the years. Realizing he had lucked out with his family, his smirk turned into a full-blown grin, as he let the following words escape his lips:

" _Thank you, Lord. For everything you've given me."_

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

Watching fireworks go off outside with a look of disgust, Enter angrily shut the blinds, turning his attention back to Psycho's uplink console.

"The research on Buster Blue is complete, Monsieur Psycho." Enter said with a bow. "He provided more learning opportunities than I initially expected."

"Good. This pleases me." Psycho said, his face appearing as a large hologram, as per usual. "Do you know what you must do, next?"

"Yes, my liege." Enter replied, turning around and tossing a dart at a picture of Colleen. "Next up is the Yellow one...this should be interesting…"

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, Graham, Colin, and Colleen can be seen in a large, gray expanse, all three of them watching a recording of their mothers' deaths with solemn looks on their faces. Out of nowhere, raindrops begin to fall, filling the screen with color as the vocals start.*)**_

 _ **~Take a breath, take a long look around before you step,**_

 _ **Cuz the tide is coming, swallowing the ground.~**_

 _ **(*Graham whips his head around desperately as water begins to fill the room, threatening to drown the three teens. Beating on the walls, he tries to break free, to no avail*)**_

 _ **~And there's no way to tell if we will drown tonight,**_

 _ **Or we'll be found tonight.~**_

 _ **(*An image of Graham, Colin, and Colleen's dead bodies drifting along in the water can be seen, only to disappear a moment later, the whole thing being revealed as a nightmare as Graham sits up in bed, screaming.*)**_

 _ **~So come in close, if the current gets us, then it get us both,**_

 _ **We can't wait here anymore.~**_

 _ **(*As Graham walks down the sidewalk, he spots Colleen off in the distance. Gazing at her longingly, he rushes over to her, only for a wall of solid energy to separate them, causing him to frown. The Vaglass come out of nowhere, storming the area and firing at them both. The two look up, realizing they have no choice but to fight.*)**_

 _ **~So if the waves come, let 'em take us,**_

 _ **As they cover you and me, and they pull us underneath.~**_

 _ **(*Graham, Colin, and Colleen rush to fight the Buglars, instantly morphing as they punch and kick the footsoldiers into submission. Seeing Enter, Graham charges him, slashing wildly. However, he is thrown onto his back by the Avatar, who walks up to him, pointing a laser pistol at his head. Demorphing, Graham grimaces, accepting his defeat.*)**_

 _ **~I hope that fate will forgive us, for tempting the sea,**_

 _ **I hope that they won't forget us!~**_

 _ **(*Graham turns to Colin and Colleen as the three are dragged into Hyperspace by Enter. No doubt, the three are to be executed for opposing the Vaglass. Bowing his head, Graham prays a desperate prayer, as Colleen looks at him, a single tear running down her cheek.*)**_

 _ **~No, we can't go back,**_

 _ **To the way it used to be.~**_

 _ **(*Waking up on the grass, Graham stands up, realizing it was all another dream. Looking to his right, he sees Colin and Colleen, the latter of the two waving him over with a smile. Taking a quick look at a picture of his mother in his pocket, Graham puts it away before joining his friends, a smile on his face despite himself. Seeing this, Colin pats him on the back, and Colleen reaches for his hand. Graham nervously takes it, squeezing it lightly as the three friends walk towards the sunset, the song ending as the camera pans away.*)**_

 ***End Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **A/N:** Holy crap, I'm done! It may've taken me way longer than expected, but there's episode four, done and dusted! So, what'd you think? Any comments, predictions, anything like that? Be sure to leave a review, I'd really appreciate it.

I don't know what else to say, so here's a list of the references, just like last time.

 **[1]-** Don't smoke, it kills you! (No, seriously. Just say NO!)

 **[2]-** Yeah, the southern accent is a little out of place, I know, but there's a reason behind it, I assure you. It's actually a reference to Archie Comics' Megaman series, in which one of the original Robot Masters, Fireman, had a bit of a southern speech pattern. Also, this season takes place in Georgia, so a monster of the week with a southern accent isn't that far of a stretch. Least not in my opinion.

 **[3]-** Sort of added that line in there after realizing I neglected to mention the bigger cockpit in Megazord mode. Just in case you're still confused, when they combine their Zords into the Spy-Buster Megazord, they move to a larger, centralized cockpit, like in a lot of other seasons. Sorry for not making that very clear.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the episode preview! Sayonara!~

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** With Graham away at a youth conference and Colin busy with a cram session, it's up to Colleen to take on an overly agile Metaloid by herself. Can the girl do it? Or will she be out-maneuvered? Find out, in **Episode 5: Crash!**


	5. Ep 5: Crash

**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm here with another update! Couple things I wanna say beforehand. Firstly, I love you all dearly, and I appreciate every single person that reads my stories, but if it's at all possible, please leave a review. It only takes a few minutes, and I love reading your guys' comments. I don't really get to talk to a lot of people outside of church and my few close friends online, so reading reviews is something I look forward to because I can connect with my readers. I really wanna get to know you guys, because, well, you seem cool. So, next time you finish one of my chapters...leave a review? It doesn't have to be super-detailed, just introduce yourself and say something about the chapter. I'll even accept "It's cool"; beggars can't be choosers. And if you really can't come up with anything to say, that's okay. At least you tried.

Secondly, I keep forgetting to mention this-the Spy-Busters Popularity Poll is now live on my profile! That's right, as of now, you can go on my profile page and vote for your favorite Ranger in the official Spy-Busters Popularity Poll! Right now Colin's winning with 1 vote (Hi Karlyn! XD), so go vote and even the odds! Or stack them even higher, I don't care, lol

Lastly, we're nearly done with the initial batch of focus episodes! Just gotta develop Colleen a little, and then we can move on to the next major story arc. What exactly _is_ that story arc…? Well, that's a surprise, dear readers ;) Stay tuned to find out, ya'll!

With all that out of the way, here's the next episode! Please read and review! Arigato!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

"Man, I'm beat…" Colin yawned as he walked down the halls of Starview Heights High, joining Graham and Colleen as they blended into the crowds, the school day having now ended.

"Same here," Colleen replied, stretching her arms until she heard her bones snap softly. "You guys wanna grab some coffee?"

"Colleen, it's 2:30 in the afternoon." Colin told her, folding his arms in slight exasperation. "Besides, I have to cram for that Social Studies test on Monday."

"We went over our study sheets this morning." Graham pointed out. "Why do you still need to cram?"

"He spent all his time after school last week palling around with Sonia before she flew back to LA." Colleen explained. "Never wrote a single thing down."

"Aww, that's adorable!" Graham cooed, annoying Colin.

"Shutup!" The Blue Ranger shouted, lightly flicking his friend on the forehead. "I promised her I would! I don't break promises!"

"Really now? I'll tell that to that one guy in your English class the next time he asks when you're gonna finally tutor him," Graham said with a chuckle.

"Fine, you win…" Colin grumbled. Turning to his sister, he said, "Point is, I don't have time for coffee. Sorry."

"That's okay." Colleen said, turning to Graham. "How about you?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Graham said, "Sorry, Colleen, I'd really love to and all, but...I've gotta go home right now and get packed for Midwinter."

"What's Midwinter?" Colin asked, seeming confused.

"Midwinter Youth Retreat; it's this two-day youth rally thing that the UPCI throws every year around the beginning of February." Graham told him. "Anyway, it starts tonight, so my youth group is meeting up at the church to drive there together in the church van."

"Oh." Colleen said, seeming a little disappointed. "Well...that's okay. Have fun!"

"I will! See ya later, Colleen!" Graham said, dashing out the front door. Turning around, he said, "Maybe I'll hang out with you guys when I get back!"

"Sounds good!" Colleen replied, cupping her hands to her mouth to amplify her voice. Looking down, she said, " _Bummer…_ "

With that, she stepped out the front doors with Colin, parting ways with her twin as she went by herself to get coffee. Little did she know, someone was watching her from inside a sleek, black car with tinted windows, studying her intently as she left the school.

With a flash of light, the driver's face changed, revealing that it was Enter sitting in the car.

Adjusting the trademark goggles that rested atop his head, the Avatar stroked his chin, saying, "So, your weakpoint is your internal engine, huh? Go too long without eating sweets, and you run out of energy...let's see what I can do to counter that…"

Opening up his laptop, Enter opened a web browser, quickly searching for something online. Zooming in on a picture of a pogo stick on a shopping website, he started the car, pulling out of the school's parking lot and driving down the road.

"Time to go shopping," He said to himself, driving towards the nearest toy store.

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**_

 _ **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**_

 _ **(*Shots of Graham, Colin, and Colleen flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, and Colleen is riding a bike. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**_

 _ **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**_

 _ **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**_

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 _ **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**_

 _ **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**_

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist, as Colin and Colleen follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, the other two quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the three spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 _ **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*A shot of Graham, Colin, and Colleen each piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot piloted by a Metaloid is shown. Gripping the controls, the three each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**_

 _ **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing side by side, all three of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the three instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, the three rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 5: Crash**

"Well, here we are." Scott said as he pulled his car into the parking lot of First Apostolic Church of Starview Heights, slowing the vehicle to a halt before turning to Graham. "You got everything you need?"

"Yeah," Graham nodded, getting out of the car as his Uncle opened the trunk. Grabbing his duffle bag, he slung it over his shoulder, closing the trunk before walking around to the driver's seat window. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright buddy. Make sure to text your aunt and I when you're on your way back. Love you."

"Love you too." Graham echoed, watching as his Uncle pulled out of the parking lot. Adjusting the strap of his duffle bag, Graham mumbled, " _Guess I'd better head inside…"_

"What's up, Graham?" Graham's youth leader Cameron said, walking out the front door of the church and giving the boy a high-five. "You ready for Midwinter?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Graham joked, looking around. "Where's everybody else?"

"The guys are inside unpacking. Tammy and the girls are at my place, they're staying there instead of the church." Cameron explained. "Go to the Youth Room and drop off your bag, we've gotta get this ball rolling soon."

"Yes sir!" Graham said, heading inside the church and cutting through the sanctuary in order to reach the youth room in the back.

Opening the door, Graham stepped into the youth room, the faint noises of conversation growing much louder.

Looking up, three boys his age noticed his arrival, approaching him accordingly. The first one to approach him was a tall, Caucasian male with short, shaggy chestnut brown hair and light blue eyes wearing a white, short-sleeved t-shirt with a treble clef logo on the front underneath a blue, unbuttoned plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black cargo pants, and black shoes with matching socks. This was seventeen year old Jonathon "Jon" Meyers, one of Graham's friends from his youth group, and a member of the church's praise team.

"Graham, you made it! Good to see ya, man!" Jon hollered, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulder before whipping out his phone and snapping a picture. Retracting his arm, he began typing away, saying, "I'm gonna post that one on Instagram."

"It's good to see you too, Jon." Graham said with a smile, rolling his eyes at his friend's antics.

"Hey Graham," Daniel Collins, a seventeen year old Caucasian male with short, carrot-colored hair and green eyes greeted. He wore a short-sleeved, yellow Sheaves for Christ t-shirt underneath an unzipped white hoodie, blue jeans, and white and green sneakers. "You excited for Midwinter?"

"Yep." Graham replied, as Jon looked up from his phone, pumping his fist.

"Alright, I got a like from the bae!" Jon chirped, gesturing to a comment from his longtime girlfriend, Sally Paige.

Laughing, Graham asked, "How's it going with you two, anyway?"

"Pretty great. Sally and I are coming up on a year and a half, now, and I'm still just as happy as I was day one." Jon said. "What about you, Graham? Got any girls from the Georgia Youth District on your radar?"

"Well, I-"

"Actually, Graham's been hanging out with a girl from school, lately!" Donald "Donnie" Summers, a seventeen year old African American male with short black hair and brown eyes hollered, a giant grin on his face. He wore a gray t-shirt, black sweatpants, and white Nikes. "Her name is Carly or something like that."

"Oooh!" Jon exclaimed, causing Graham to become somewhat flustered.

"Her name is _Colleen_ , not Carly." He corrected, blushing a bright shade of red. "Besides, we're just friends! That's all!"

Not quite convinced, Jon replied, "Is that right?"

"It is."

 _Or...is it?_ Graham thought to himself. _She seemed really upset when I told her I couldn't hang out with her today, and Colin does keep saying we'd make a great couple. On top of all that, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it once or twice...maybe I have a crush on her after all…_

"Well, I hope you boys are done unpacking!" Cameron said as he entered the room, already dressed and ready for service. "Get changed into your church clothes and head to the van, we've gotta go meet up with the girls."

"Allllllright!" Jon cheered, pumping his fist. "I can't _wait_ to see Sally!"

"I can't wait for the awesome speaker they've got lined up," Daniel added.

"I'm looking forward to pizza and dodgeball!" Donnie hollered. "I'm gonna wipe the floor with the competition!"

"Good to see you've got your priorities in order." Graham joked, as the four took turns grabbing their church outfits and ducking into the bathroom to get ready.

 _I'd better get Colleen off my mind for a little while._ Graham thought to himself as he got dressed, combing his hair and putting on some cologne. _Time to get my mind on church._

Humming to himself, Graham began to sing quietly, saying, " _~I will live, I will not die! The resurrection power of Christ-alive in me, and I am free in Jesus name!~"_

* * *

 _Man, that line was huge…_ Colleen thought to herself as she exited the local coffee shop, carrying a cup of coffee in her hands. _Not to MENTION how much I paid for my coffee...this had better taste amazing…_

With that, she walked down the street, making her way towards the apartment complex where she lived. Standing at the front door of Captain Shields' apartment, she knocked on the door, prompting Colin to call out to her.

"Give me a sec!" Colin said, unlocking the door from the other side and opening it to see Colleen. Giving her a small smile, he said, "Hey sis,"

"Hey Colin." She echoed, stepping into the apartment and setting her coffee down while she removed her shoes. Shutting the door behind her, she grabbed her coffee and turned to Colin, saying, "You done studying?"

"Not even close…" Colin sighed.

Frowning, Colleen said, "Well, that sucks...guess I'm on my own, tonight."

"Sorry, sis. Maybe I'll be done tomorrow. Then we can all go hang out when Graham gets back from his youth event thingy. Given he's not too tired, anyway."

"Okay…" Colleen said, stepping into her bedroom and shutting the door behind her. Turning around, she was surprised to see Lettuce, who was standing in the center of the room with a feather duster in his hand.

The room itself was a mess-her light gray comforter was crumpled up on the floor, several fluffy white pillows were strewn about in random places, and worst of all, her prized possession, a yellow stuffed rabbit, was lying face-first at her feet, looking as if it'd been tossed there with no care at all.

"What the heck happened in here?" She asked, starting to freak out. "Lettuce!"

"I can explain!" Lettuce told her, sounding rather enthusiastic despite his predicament. "Captain Shields kept saying your room was a little messy, but Banana was busy washing windows at HQ. Therefore, I decided to clean up instead in order to surprise you! What do you think?"

"Uh, Lettuce…?" Colleen began somewhat awkwardly, not wanting to hurt her Buddy-Roid's feelings. "I don't mean to make you feel bad or anything, but...stick to what you know, okay?"

"But I was trying to help!" Lettuce protested.

"I understand that," Colleen said, patting her Buddy-Roid on the head. "But there's a reason Banana's the housekeeper, and it's because he was programmed for it. You're better suited for other stuff."

"Like what?"

"Well, you're good at cooking." Colleen pointed out. "You make really good cooked carrots….and carrot cake...and carrot juice...come to think of it you can't cook anything without carrots in it, can you?"

"Roger rabbit!" Lettuce hollered, laughing a bit. "Like you said, princess, it always turns out better when we stick to what we know."

"Good point. Anyway, I appreciate the gesture, but the room is super messy, now. Here, help me clean it up." Colleen told the robot, stepping over her desk in order to put down her coffee before turning back around and scooping her stuffed rabbit off of the floor.

Placing it carefully on her nightstand, she helped Lettuce with the pillows, grabbing them off the carpet and tossing them back on the bed so her Buddy-Roid could fluff them and place them back in their original spot. Lastly, she picked up her comforter and placed it neatly on her bed. The room was back to normal, now.

"Whew, that was tiresome…" Colleen yawned, collapsing into her desk chair and reaching for her coffee. "Time to take a drink...it should be cooled down enough…"

Watching her take a swig of her coffee, Lettuce tilted his head in confusion. Instead of the usual smile that appeared when the girl drank the energizing warm beverage, a bit of a frown creased her lips. Sitting the coffee down on her desk rather roughly, she let out a series of coughs, sounding as if there was something stuck in her throat.

"You okay, princess…?" Lettuce asked, concerned for his human counterpart.

"I'm fine," Colleen assured him, coughing one last time to clear her throat. "It's the coffee-they messed up my order, somehow!"

"That...sucks." Lettuce said somewhat awkwardly. Being a robot, he had neither the need nor the ability to eat food or drink liquid, so he couldn't really relate to her. Still, he could tell the screwed-up order annoyed her somewhat.

"You're right about that, bud." Colleen huffed, standing up and walking over to the doorway. Opening her bedroom door, she turned to face her Buddy-Roid, saying, "I'm gonna go tell them they screwed up my coffee, I'll be back soon. _Hopefully_ with a free coffee."

"Roger rabbit!" Lettuce chirped, watching his human counterpart leave. "Be safe out there, okay princess?"

"Don't worry, I will!" Colleen replied, exiting the apartment and heading back into the city.

"Man, that girl sure takes her coffee seriously..." Lettuce mused to himself, shaking a head a bit.

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Graham and the others…

"Alright, I see you ladies finally finished getting ready." Cameron teased from the driver's seat of the church van, as Graham and the other guys converged on the vehicle , now wearing their dress clothes. Graham's outfit was very similar to the one he wore on the day Colin defeated Burnerloid. "Go ahead and load up, guys. We need to get there sometime in the next ten minutes in order to not miss check-in."

"Roger that!" Donnie said with a mock-salute, before rushing over to the passenger side door. "I call shotgun!"

Watching as Donnie took the passenger seat, Jon reluctantly took a seat in the row behind him and Cameron, saying, "This isn't fair, man. Why does he get to sit up front?"

"Because I called dibs?"

"Donnie, I'm older than you by two weeks. I should be up front."

Patting Jon on the back as he took a seat in the row behind him, Graham said, "By that logic, I should be up front. I'm older than both of you guys by two months."

"Does it really matter who sits up front?" Daniel asked, hopping into the van and shutting the door behind him before taking a seat next to Graham. "It's only like a five minute drive."

"Nicely put, Dan." Cameron said, putting the van into drive before driving out of the parking lot and onto the road. "Tell you what-since you're older than all three of them, why don't you get shotgun on the ride back tonight?"

"Dangit, no fair…" Jon whined, causing Cameron to laugh.

"Relax. It doesn't really matter where everyone sits." Cameron told him. "Like Daniel said-it's a short drive."

And short it was. As soon as he finished saying that, they pulled into the parking lot of the church where Midwinter was being held. Unlike their church, which was relatively small and very traditional looking, this church was more industrial in its design. On top of that, it was _huge_.

"Well, we're here." Cameron said, putting the van in park and reaching for his phone. "Just gotta text my wife and tell her we're here so we can meet up,"

"Cool beans." Donnie said, causing Graham to internally roll his eyes. Fads were a pet peeves of his, especially ones that were really outdated and just needed to die already. Like this one-

"Alright, one, two, three, DAB!" Jon said before dabbing, causing Graham to hang his head in embarrassment.

-Case in point. **[1]**

"Alright, I just texted her, she says they're walking over here right now." Cameron said, looking up from his phone.

"There they are!" Jon hollered, pointing to a woman leading a girl their age towards the church van.

"Hi sweetie, good to see you." Cameron's wife Tammy said, kissing her husband on the cheek. **[2]**

"Good to see you too, honey." Cameron replied, unbuckling his seatbelt and stepping out of the van. Turning to the boys, he said, "Alright guys, pile on out."

With that, the four obeyed, getting out of the van and joining Tammy and the other girls. Approaching them from the parking space beside the van, a girl with curly black hair, freckles, and brown eyes gave Jon a ginormous hug, saying, "Babe!"

Returning the hug with a huge grin on his face, Jon replied, "Hey Sal! Good to see you!"

"Same here." Sally said, giving her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek. Turning to the others, she said, "Good to see you guys. Donnie, Daniel. I saw your selfie with Jon earlier, Graham. You looked good. You should smile next time, though."

"She's got a point, dude." Jon said, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. "You scowl way too much whenever the cameras come out."

"I'm not scowling; it's just my neutral expression." Graham told them. "I just think it looks weird when people smile all the time for no reason."

"Kind of like you do when you're around that Colleen girl?" Donnie asked, eliciting a laugh from Jon, who high-fived him.

"Who's Colleen?" Sally asked, her interest piqued.

"No one important…" Graham lied.

"Yeah, if you live in a world where your _girlfriend_ isn't important!" Donnie added.

"You have a girlfriend?" Sally asked, surprised. "That's great, I'm happy for you bud!"

"I-It's not like that!" Graham protested, getting really flustered. "She's just a uh...girl that's also a friend…"

Looking at Sally, Donnie said, "He hangs out with her like, all the time."

"I see him eating lunch with her and her brother out in the quad every day when I look out the window in Chemistry class." Jon added.

"I see him talk to her a lot. Like, actually talking. Without mumbling or getting nervous or anything." Daniel chimed in.

"Oooh, then they _have_ to be dating! He never talks to anyone he doesn't know super well without getting nervous, _especially_ when the person's a girl." Sally said. Turning back to Graham, she said, "So, how long have you two been going out?"

"We're not going out, I swear!" Graham shouted. "We're just friends, okay?"

"So...she doesn't mean anything to you?" Donnie questioned.

"I didn't say _that_. I mean, she's really nice, and sweet, and we have a really good time together, and...I'd be lying if I didn't say she was cute…"

"Aww, Graham has a crush!~" Sally cooed, causing the boy to blush redder than his ranger suit. "How cute is that?"

Hanging his head to hide his embarrassment, Graham walked away, saying, "C-C'mon, we're gonna be late…"

"I can't believe he likes a girl!" Sally said, a huge smile on her face. "It's good to see him show interest in one again."

"Yeah, especially after that wench he dated a year or two ago. He was never really the same after she dumped him." Jon added. **[3]**

"We should go inside," Daniel pointed out, gesturing towards the numerous crowds of people making their way inside the church.

"Agreed," The other three said in unison, joining Daniel as he followed Cameron and Tammy inside the building.

* * *

 _Man, that took way too long…_ Colleen thought to herself as she walked out of the local coffee shop for the second time that day. _I mean, I know it was free, but they didn't have to make me wait so long...they'd have better got it right this time…_

She then proceeded to lift the cup to her lips, preparing to take a drink. However, before she could, someone bumped into her from behind, causing her to drop the cup and spill the coffee all over the sidewalk.

Scowling, she said, "Aw, son of a-"

"RUN!" The man who bumped into her shouted, sprinting down the sidewalk as several other people did the same.

"THEY'RE COMING THIS WAY!" Another one screeched.

"What in the world are you-" Colleen began, pausing to turn around. What she saw immediately explained everything-heading straight for them was an orange pogo stick-themed Metaloid and a squadron of Buglars. "...Oh."

"It's the Vaglass!" Another civilian realized.

"What'll we do?" One of them questioned.

"Everybody run!" Colleen hollered, helping up a little girl who had tripped and gesturing for her to run. "Get out of here, now!"

Hearing this, the civilians all ran away at breakneck speeds, leaving Colleen all by herself. Looking around to make sure no one else was around, she ducked into a nearby alley, brandishing her Morphin' Brace.

"Install: Spy-Busters!" She hollered, instantly morphing into Buster Yellow before popping back out of the alley, Spy-Blaster in hand. Immediately firing on her foes, she said, "Take this!"

"There you are!" The Metaloid said, sounding happy to see the Yellow Ranger. "We've been looking all over for you."

"Last time I checked, you weren't my legal guardian," Colleen spat, keeping her Spy-Blaster trained on the Buglars. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Man, I am SO GLAD you asked!" The Metaloid said, acting excited all of a sudden. "My name is Springloid, and I'm a Metaloid that's specifically designed to take you down, Yellow Ranger! And the way I'll do that is by exploiting your weakpoint!"

"Enter's been a little obsessed with our weakpoints, lately." Colleen observed quietly, tightening her grip on her Spy-Blaster. "Care to shed some light on that?"

"Sorry, trade secret!" Springloid taunted, gesturing for the remaining Buglars to attack. "Buglars, attack that...that Metahuman!"

"You say that word like it's an _insult_." Colleen scoffed, gunning down some of the Buglars as they rushed towards her. "I'll have you know, tin can, that Metahumans are some of the toughest people you'll ever meet! We can endure anything!"

"We'll see about that, girly!" Springloid hollered, as the Buglars began to fire energy beams her way.

Using her superagility, the Yellow Ranger vaulted into the air in order to dodge their shots, twirling her Spy-Blaster in her hand before firing back at the footsoldiers. Landing on the ground, she swept their legs out from underneath them, delivering swift punches to all their chests in order to destroy them once and for all.

"You're definitely as tough as Enter said you were," Springloid observed, using his spring-legs to launch himself upward. "I don't think you can keep up with me, though."

"Is that a challenge?" Colleen spat, jumping up after him. "I'm the highest jumper on the planet, just so you know."

"Not for long you're not!" Springloid told her, waiting until he neared the ground once more before putting more pressure into his springs, propelling him all the way onto a nearby skyscraper. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he said, "Catch me if you can!"

Seeing this, Colleen landed back on the ground, keeping her eyes pinned on the Metaloid as he taunted her from the rooftops.

 _I know this is probably a trap, but...I can't back down. He's calling me out and I have to stand up to him._ She thought to herself.

Looking around to make sure no one was around, she removed her helmet and took a quick bite of a candy bar, recharging her internal engine as she prepared to accept the challenge.

Now fully re-energized, she put her helmet back on before using her superagility to vault up after her foe.

* * *

"Boys, welcome to Midwinter."

"Woah…" Graham and the others said in awe, as Cameron and Tammy led them inside the venue for that year's event. It was twice as big as the church they'd held it in the previous year, and as such, it held twice as many people. Obviously, the people there were taking advantage of that-the number of people attending had at least doubled, if not tripled.

"I've n-never seen this many people in one p-place before…" Graham murmured, suddenly growing very nervous.

Ushering the group closer to him, Cameron said, "C'mon, let's go find the other girls and see what they're up to. Tammy'll hand you guys your badges on the way."

"Right on," Jon nodded, as he and the others followed the couple deeper into the church. As they walked, Tammy passed badges to each of them.

The second he got his, Graham closely examined it-like usual, it was a dropcard attached to a long black lanyard via a small metal clip.

On the front of the badge, he saw a picture of a snowy mountain, accompanied by the words "MWYR: Mid-Winter Youth Retreat 2017". At the very bottom, the logo for the Georgia Youth Division could be seen, and on the back, he saw a code he could use to download recordings of the event's sermons once they were uploaded to the website specified. Neat.

Lifting it over his head, he hung it around his neck, with the others quickly following suite.

"Hey guys look, it's Holly!" Jon said, pointed over to another girl in their youth group. "She's talking to a bunch of people from Calvary, let's go."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Daniel replied, " _Which_ Calvary? You need to specify." **[4]**

Rolling her eyes, Sally said, "The one Jack is from. Y'know, that guy Holly has a crush on? C'mon, let's go say hi!"

"D-Do we have to?" Graham asked, his social anxiety surfacing. He didn't like crowds, especially ones filled with people that were obviously more popular than he was.

"What's wrong? Why're you nervous? You'd do it for Colleen." Sally countered, joining her boyfriend as he grabbed Graham's wrist, the young couple working together in order to drag him over to the conversation.

"Who's Colleen?" Tammy asked, looking to her husband in slight confusion.

"Some girl from school Graham supposedly hangs out with a lot. Apparently, she's his new girlfriend."

"Oh." Tammy said, a small smile forming on her face. "Good for him."

"It _has_ been awhile since he's shown interest in someone," Cameron observed. "Anyway, let's go grab some seats before they're all gone. Service will be starting soon."

* * *

Landing on the roof of one of the city's many tall buildings Colleen bent over and took a deep breath, already exhausted from the height of her jumps. Looking up, she saw Springloid mockingly wave at her before jumping onto a higher building, almost as if he were racing her.

Shaking her head, Colleen clenched her fists and kept going, running after her opponent before jumping up to the building he was on top of.

Watching this from the streets below, a woman turned to her boyfriend, saying, "Hey look, it's the Yellow Ranger! She's taking the fight to that robot that came charging in here, earlier!"

"Are you sure she's alright?" The boyfriend asked, as the woman pulled out her phone and took a few pictures. "She looks tired…"

"I'm not sure," She replied, putting her phone back in her purse. Turning to her partner, she said, "Let's go home and see if it's on the news."

"Good idea," The boyfriend replied, following his girlfriend as she led him down the street towards their apartment.

* * *

" _-Our God reigns forever…~"_ Graham sang to himself, finishing the song that had just been sung as he and the other youth returned to their seats. Friday night's service had just begun, and song service was now drawing to a close.

Walking over to the row he and the rest of his youth group shared, he sat down, waiting for the rest of his friends to follow suite. Hearing hushed whispers, he turned to his right, becoming somewhat dumbfounded when he saw Donnie and Jon sitting down already, both of them goofing off on the latter's smart phone.

Elbowing Donnie, he sharply whispered, " _What're you guys doing? Service is starting, why are you still goofing off?"_

" _We're not goofing off, we're watching the news."_ Donnie told him _. "Apparently the Yellow Ranger is fighting some robot downtown."_

" _For real?"_ Graham asked, sounding somewhat concerned. _"Is she in trouble?"_

" _Seems like it."_ Jon said, looking to his friend. _"She's acting really sluggish, and she's barely dodging the laser-beams those henchman robots are firing at her."_

 _Oh no…_ Graham thought to himself. _Her weakpoint…_

"Hey, what're you guys doing?" Cameron asked, shaking Graham from his thoughts. "We're in church, wait until later to play on your phones."

"But we were just-"

"No buts, Jon." Cameron said, grabbing the phone and pocketing it. "This is mine until the After-Event."

"Rats," Jon said, frowning somewhat.

 _I've gotta help her...but how?_ Graham thought to himself, trying to formulate a plan in his mind. _It might be a longshot, but…_

"Uh, Cameron?" Graham spoke up. "I gotta go to the restroom. I'll be right back."

"Alright. Just try not to take too long, you don't wanna miss the sermon." His youth leader reminded him, standing up to let Graham out into the aisle.

" _I can always download it later,"_ Graham muttered under his breath, quietly exiting the sanctuary before sneaking out of the church.

* * *

" _Man, this isn't going well…"_ Colleen mumbled to herself, doubling over and trying to regain her breath as Springloid and the Buglars closed in on her. _"When he said he'd exploit my weakpoint, he wasn't kidding…_ "

"End of the line, Yellow Ranger!" Springloid hollered, pointing his arm in her direction and charging up an energy blast in his hand. "You're coming with us for further testing!"

"Not so fast!" Graham said as he supersped in out of nowhere, brandishing his Morphin' Brace. "Install: Spy-Busters!"

Instantly morphing into Buster Red, he summoned his Spy-Blaster and used it to slash the Buglars away as he supersped from side to side, screeching to a halt in front of his yellow counterpart.

"If you want her, you'll have to go through me!" He declared, gripping his weapon tightly.

"Graham, stay out of this!" Colleen told him, sounding frustrated. "This is _my_ fight."

"Screw that! I can capture you both, now!" Springloid exclaimed excitedly. "It's a two for one deal!"

"Wanna make it a triple?" Colin asked sarcastically as he warped in via a teleporter in the roof, morpher already at the ready. "Install: Spy-Busters!"

"Both of you, get out of here…" Colleen pleaded, holding her arm as she struggled to her feet. "You don't know what you're dealing with…"

"Maybe not," Colin began, having morphed into Buster Blue. "Still, I'll be damned if I let any tin can beat up on my sister."

"Watch your language," Graham told the Blue Ranger, turning back to face Springloid. "As for you, get ready. You're gonna regret messing with Colleen, rust bucket."

"Rust bucket? That's the _best_ insult you've got?"

"I'm Apostolic, remember? I hold myself to a higher standard."

"I was born Catholic; you don't see me trash-talking like a first grader would."

"You make a good point, but I have a moral code I like to live by. Sorry."

"It's alright, dude, I just wish you'd act like a real boy every once in awhile."

"I'm Apostolic; I'm not _Pinocchio_."

"Are you two done yet?" Springloid asked. "You're boring me to tears right now."

"Hey genius, you don't have tear-ducts. You're a piece of crap robot, remember?"

"That's better. Keep it up." Colin said, patting the Red Ranger on the back before brandishing his Spy-Blaster. Rushing forward, he said, "Let's do this!"

"Right behind ya, bud!" Graham hollered, gripping his Spy-Saber tightly as he charged into battle.

"Buglars, attack!" Springloid commanded, prompting the Buglars to run towards them.

"Eat this!" Colin hollered, firing at the Buglars as they scrambled towards him.

Meanwhile, Graham sped towards Springloid, slashing him across the shoulder as he slowed to a halt.

"You're mine." He said, gripping his Spy-Saber tightly.

"Bring it on." Springloid replied, jumping to dodge Graham's next swing.

For the next few minutes, Graham used his superspeed to try to gain the upper hand against Springloid, who kept using his spring-legs to jump out of the way of each of the Red Ranger's attacks. Over on the other side of the rooftop, Colin gunned down the Buglars as they tried to attack him.

Neither Graham or Springloid were gaining the advantage, and the Red Ranger was started to grow frustrated. Switching out his Spy-Saber for his Spy-Blaster, he turned to Colin, saying, "CV, let's switch!"

"Good idea," Colin replied, standing to his feet and flipping through the air, landing in front of Springloid as he brandished his Spy-Saber. Seeing this, Graham supersped over to the Buglars, firing energy blasts at them rapidly.

Eventually, the Red Ranger managed to defeat them all. Meanwhile, the fight between Springloid and Colin raged on.

"You can't beat me!" Springloid taunted, as Colin swung his Spy-Saber in his direction.

"We'll see about that!" Colin growled, dropping his weapon as his eyes began to glow through his visor. Eventually, the glow subsided, and he raised his arms, using his Superstrength to slam them into Springloid's chest. This resulted in the Metaloid being launched backward.

"You're good," Springloid told him. "But I'm better."

Jumping into the air, the Metaloid pounded his spring-legs into the rooftop they were fighting on, creating a shockwave that sent Colin flying onto his back, demorphing on impact.

"Colin!" Colleen cried out, concerned for her twin.

"CV!" Graham yelled, rushing to his side before turning his attention to Springloid. "You're going down, now."

"I'm not so sure about that," Springloid said, lifting up one of his legs and stretching the spring inside, using it as a makeshift whip to knock Graham backward. "You're the one who looks like they're losing."

"I'm...not...afraid of you!" Graham said, building up momentum before superspeeding towards Springloid, Spy-Saber in hand.

Jumping into the air, Springloid seemingly vanished, confusing the Red Ranger. Stopping in his tracks, Graham whipped his head around, searching for any sign of the Metaloid.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he slowly turned around with a feeling of pure dread. As soon as his eyes landed on Springloid, the Metaloid struck the teen with his spring-arms, knocking him onto his back and demorphing him.

"You should be," Springloid told him, letting out an evil laugh.

"Graham!" Colleen said with concern, demorphing before crawling over to her friend.

"I'm afraid I can't stick around. I need to recharge my batteries." Springloid began, chuckling a bit before pointing at Colleen. "Save up your energy, Buster Yellow. This will _not_ be our final encounter."

With that, he warped away, leaving the three all by themselves.

"Are you two alright?" Colleen asked, her voice full of concern. "You took a major beating."

"Colleen, we're fine." Colin assured her, standing back up to his feet. "Aren't we, Graham?"

"Yeah." Graham replied, groaning as he pulled himself back up to his feet. Looking to Colleen, he said, "Forget about us; I'm more worried about you. That guy was exploiting your Weakpoint, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, but it was no big deal. I had it all under control." Colleen replied, brushing off his concern. "I can take care of myself, y'know."

"I never said you couldn't." Graham told her. "But I want you to know I'm here for you if you need my help. Colin is, too."

"He's right, sis. If you ever need us, all you have to do is ask."

Turning away from them, Colleen said, "Look, I appreciate the sentiment, but don't worry about me. I'm gonna go home, you two can go back to doing what you were doing."

Watching as she stepped into the rooftop's teleporter, Graham looked to Colin, furrowing his eyebrows a bit at the Yellow Ranger's behavior.

"Is she okay? She's acting weird."

"I'm sure she's fine. Just give her some time, it worked for us." Colin told him. "Anyway, I'll see you later. Have fun at Midwinter."

"Will do," Graham said with a mock salute, waiting for Colin to use the teleporter before stepping in himself, taking it to the teleporter closest to the church.

* * *

 _Man, I can't believe this…_ Colleen thought to herself as she laid on her bed, head buried in her arms with a sad expression on her face. _How could I let that guy beat me…?_

"Something wrong, princess?" Lettuce asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"It's nothing," Colleen lied, rolling over to avoid her Buddy-Roid's gaze. "I'm fine."

* * *

"There you are!" Cameron exclaimed, as Graham quietly slipped into his seat inside the sanctuary. "Where've you been?"

"I uh, couldn't remember where we were sitting," Graham lied, rubbing the back of his neck rather sheepishly. "I was in here the whole time, I promise."

"I certainly hope you were; it was an excellent sermon." Cameron told him. "Look, if I find out you skipped out, I won't punish you, but you should know this-it'd be quite a shame to let your Aunt and Uncle pay all this money for you to come only for you to waste the opportunity."

 _Well I couldn't just leave her…_ Graham thought to himself, following his youth group as they headed up front for altar call. _She needed help…_

* * *

 _Man, this studying thing is brutal…_ Colin thought to himself, scowling as he continued to flip through his History textbook, jotting down notes on important subjects and topics their teacher had pointed out, since they were sure to be on the test they'd take on Monday. _I'm never gonna finish...and then there's that Metaloid! Springloid, or whatever...targeting Colleen...what a jerk. But I couldn't do anything to help her, and neither could Graham...he was too strong, dammit!_

* * *

"I see you've returned empty-handed," Enter said, not even turning around to face Springloid as he attempted to sneak inside the abandoned warehouse that served as the Vaglass' base on Earth. "Have you made any progress, or do I need to scrap you?"

"Relax, Enter, of course I've made progress." Springloid told him. "I fought the Yellow Ranger, and I was doing a really good job, too. I observed her reaction times, attack strengths, and flaws, just like you told me to. I was going to bring her back here for further testing, but well...there were complications."

"Busters Red and Blue interfered, didn't they? _Typical_." Enter scoffed, with more than a hint of disdain in his voice. "It's such a shame Tireloid and Burnerloid failed to bring them back here on their respective research excursions, we could've disposed of them easily if they had."

"Don't worry, Enter. As soon as I'm re-energized and ready to go, I'm calling them out. All three of them! Then I'll bring them back here and we can study them for as long as you want before exterminating them. I promise I won't fail!"

"Whatever you say," Enter said dryly, watching as Springloid walked up to a recharging station and hooked himself up to it, beginning the re-energizing process. " _You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, though._ "

* * *

"I'm gonna hit the hay, Lettuce." Colleen said, standing up and ushering her Buddy-Roid out of the room so she could change. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Roger that, princess." Lettuce replied, walking out the door and leaving the apartment to go back to HQ.

* * *

 _Well, I'm exhausted…_ Colin thought to himself, grumbling as he slammed his textbook shut. _I'm clearly not gonna finish this tonight...might as well get some sleep._

Standing up, he pushed his desk chair in and turned off his desk lamp before changing out of his clothes, stripping down to nothing but his underwear as he slipped under his covers, taking his glasses off and setting them on his nightstand. Laying his head down on his pillow, he closed his eyes, letting out a sigh as he fell asleep.

* * *

"Hey Graham, what's the matter?" Sally asked inside the church's auditorium, where the after-event was being held. "Why aren't you going around talking to people?"

"Just something on my mind," Graham told her, getting up and walking outside in order to get some privacy.

* * *

Later that Night…

Colin and Colleen were both sleeping peacefully when their Morphin' Braces went off, emitting a series of loud beeps that woke the two teens up almost instantly.

Looking to his alarm clock, Colin groaned, saying, "Seriously, Vaglass? It's 4:30 in the morning!"

Slipping on some clothes before stumbling groggily into the hall, he turned his eyes to Colleen's door, seeing her emerge moments later.

"You ready for this?" He asked his twin, adjusting his glasses with his thumb.

"Ready as I'll ever be," She told him, still not sure of herself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Graham shot up from the pew he was sleeping on back at his home church, having returned there with his youth group after the events of the, well, after-event.

" _You've gotta be kidding me…_ " Graham muttered, reaching for his Morphin' Brace and hitting a button to silence it. Standing up, he turned and walked down the aisle of the sanctuary, heading for the door.

Stirring a bit, Daniel sat up and looked at him, saying, _"Graham, what're you doing up…?"_

"N-Nothing. Just going to the bathroom." He ad-libbed.

" _Oh_." Daniel said, laying back down and going back to sleep. Sighing in relief, Graham turned and tip-toed out of the building, using his superspeed to head to the nearest teleporter.

* * *

"Where are they…?" Springloid asked himself, growing impatient as he and a battalion of Buglars stormed the parking lot of the city mall, shooting abandoned stores at random in an attempt to draw out the Rangers. "I'm starting to lose my patience!"

"Looking for us?" Graham and Colin asked in unison, running into the parking lot and stopping in front of them.

"That's two out of three." Springloid observed, turning to face the teens. "Where's Yellow?"

"Where _is_ Colleen?" Graham asked, looking around for signs of his yellow counterpart.

"I'm right here!" Colleen hollered, running out of a nearby convenience store with a tall boy of Mt. Dew in her hands. Opening it up and chugging a bit of it, she tossed it off to the side, saying, "You're going down, tin can!"

Looking to Colleen and placing his hand on her shoulder, Colin said, "I'm right behind ya, sis. Let's kick some Metaloid ass!"

"W-What he said," Graham stammered, nervously reaching out and patting the Yellow Ranger on the back. "We uh...we'll be behind you every step of the way. Just focus on Springloid, we'll handle the Buglars."

"Sounds like a plan," Colleen said with a smile, readying her Morphin' Brace. "Now...it's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Morphing Sequence~**

"Savannah Hunter!" Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior! Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper! Buster Yellow!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!"

Crouching low to the ground, Graham said, "Objective: Distract the Buglars while Colleen settles her score with Springloid! Ready…?"

"GO!" All three Rangers said in unison, running forward as soon as Graham gave the order.

"Colin, follow me! I have a plan." Graham said to the Blue Ranger, gesturing for him to follow as he retreated a few feet behind the Buglars..

"Right behind ya, bud!" Colin replied, sprinting over to his red counterpart. "Lay it on me."

Very quietly, Graham began to explain his plan, as Colleen charged at Springloid, letting out a battle cry at the top of her lungs.

"Take...THIS!" Springloid grunted, swinging his spring-arm in her direction.

"No thanks!" Colleen taunted, using her superagility to vault over his head, firing a few shots from her Spy-Blaster before landing on the other side of him. Turning around, she added, "I'm good."

"Why you-" Springloid seethed in anger, stopping mid-sentence as something caught his eye. "What the-?!"

"That's right! This is actually happening!" Colin confirmed, using his superstrength to lob a bunch of tires at the Buglars, who simply stood confused as they hit them and rolled away.

Letting out a hearty laugh, Springloid said, "Ha! You thought that would actually stop them? Don't make me laugh, Blue! And Red? Your plan failed!"

"Actually, it went off without a hitch." Graham said matter-of-factly, as small red dots began to flicker on the Buglars' bodies.

Seeing this, Springloid said, "Wait a minute! Are those-"

"Experimental explosives. I grabbed some from HQ on the way over." Graham told him, holding up one of the devices for the Metaloid to see. "And now…it's time for phase two!"

With that, he brandished his Spy-Saber, pressing a button on it to activate his finisher. Colin soon followed suite, and the two stood shoulder-to-shoulder.

"Spy-Saber: Stakeout...SLASH!" The two hollered in unison, unleashing an energy-wave from their weapons that hit the Buglars, activating the explosives and causing a colossal explosion that sent Springloid flying up into the air.

"Whoooa!" He exclaimed, flailing his arms as gravity carried him back down. "No fair!"

"My turn," Colleen said with determination, gripping her own Spy-Saber. Pressing a button on it, she used her superagility to jump upward, slashing Springloid on the way up. "Spy-Saber: Stakeout...SLASH!"

"NOOO!" Springloid cried as he fell to the ground, sparking uncontrollably. "This is unbelievable!"

With that, he exploded, sending debris everywhere. Landing gracefully on the ground, Colleen holstered her weapon, looking on as Graham and Colin rushed to join her.

"Nice work, sis."

"Alllright!" Graham said in excitement, pumping his fist. "You did it!"

"Thanks for the support, guys. This isn't over, though." Colleen said, looking down at her Morphin' Brace to see a countdown timer. "Incoming transfer!"

* * *

"Lieutenant Woods, send the Zords!" Captain Shields ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Lieutenant Woods replied with a salute, typing a series of commands into his computer terminal.

* * *

"Amusez-vous, Spy-Busters." Enter taunted in his French accent, reviving Springloid just as the robot warped in from Hyperspace.

"I'm gonna destroy you!" Springloid boomed, hopping inside the cockpit of the new robot as the Zords came out of the launch bay.

"Let's take him down!" Colleen said confidently, using her Buddy-Capsule to materialize Lettuce in his Console Mode before boarding her Zord.

"Right behind you!" Graham and Colin said in unison, hopping into their respective Zords and taking the controls.

"Bringing 'em together," Graham said, steering his Zord in the direction of the others'. "Spy-Buster Megazord Formation: Activate!"

 **~Megazord Formation Sequence~**

"Spy-Buster Megazord: Online!" The three Rangers said in unison, as they moved to their centralized cockpit and took their stations.

"I'm gonna turn your stupid Megazord into scrap-metal!" Springloid laughed, moving his robot towards the Megazord.

"You're the one that's headed for the scrapheap!" Colleen hollered. "Take this!"

Gripping the controls, the Yellow Ranger sent the Megazord's fist directly into Springloid's robot, staggering it.

"You think that's enough to stop _me?_ " Springloid asked, scoffing a bit. "Wait until you get a load of this!"

Lifting his robot's right leg, he extended the spring inside, using it as a makeshift-whip to knock the Megazord off-balance. Planting the leg firmly into the ground, he extended the springs once more, launching the entire robot high into the air.

"Rangers, be careful!" Lieutenant Woods warned them. "The Megazord can't withstand another hit like that!"

"We need to take evasive action!" Graham shouted, checking a few instruments above his head. Turning to Colleen, he said, "Colleen, I need you to use your power. Channel your energy through the Megazord and use your superagility to dodge his attack!"

"But...what if it doesn't work?" Colleen questioned, self-doubt plaguing her again. "I can't afford to fail…"

"We can't afford to do nothing, either." Graham countered, turning and placing his hand on the Yellow Ranger's shoulder. "I believe in you, Colleen. But you need to believe in yourself, too."

Hearing this, Colleen allowed her mind to travel back, to a time when she was much younger.

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _Colleen, is something wrong?" A seven year old Colin asked, the two of them standing in one of the GPU's training rooms. "Why aren't you jumping very high?"_

" _I'm not feeling it," Colleen told her, on the verge of tears. "I...I miss momma."_

" _I understand," Colin replied, sniffling a little bit in an attempt to hold back tears of his own. "But if we don't train hard, we won't be able to become Rangers. Don't you wanna protect everyone, so no other little boys and girls have to grow up without a mommy or daddy?"_

" _I do." Colleen nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks. "More than anything in the world."_

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"Alright," Colleen said, nodding as a sign of solidarity. "I'll do it."

"Rangers, hurry!" Lieutenant Rose pleaded. "There's no time!"

"Doing it!" Colleen shouted, gripping the controls and allowing Enertron to flow through her and into the Megazord, charging it with an aura of green energy.

Willing the Megazord back onto its feet, Colleen pushed off the ground with its legs, using her superagility to send it up into the air, just in time to avoid Springloid's attack.

"Damn!" Springloid swore, as his robot landed on the ground with a thud. Jerking around the controls, he said, "Wait a minute...I'm stuck!"

"Let's end this!" Graham suggested, as gravity kicked in and the Megazord began its long descent back down. "Spy Buster Megazord: Victory Smash, Charging!"

The Megazord's fists began to glow with bright gold energy, as it came closer and closer to Springloid's robot, which was still a sitting duck.

"Spy-Buster Megazord: Victory Smash, Away!" The Rangers shouted in unison, striking the air with the Megazord's fists and sending two golden beams of energy cutting into Springloid's robot.

"NOOO!" Springloid shouted, as his robot exploded, sending him falling to his death. "Curse you, Rangers!"

Hitting the ground, he disappeared into a stream of data, dying his second and final death.

"You did it!" Graham exclaimed in happiness, turning and giving Colleen a high-five.

"No, _we_ did it." Colleen corrected him, gesturing to him and Colin and then to herself. "As a team."

"Right on!" Colin hollered, pumping his fist.

"Mission: Complete!" Graham confirmed, folding his arms as the other two began to celebrate.

Demorphing, the three exited their Megazord, landing on the ground next to their Buddy-Roids.

"Well, we should probably head home. I'm pretty beat." Colleen said, letting out a yawn. "I'm sure Colin needs to finish studying, too."

"Unfortunately, yes." Colin replied. Turning to his red counterpart, he said, "See ya, Graham."

"See ya," Graham echoed, as the two twins began to walk away. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he said, "Oh, and Colleen?"

"Yeah?" Colleen asked, stopping in her tracks and turning to face him.

"I prayed for you last night…" He mumbled, blushing a bit. "Just so you know."

"Thanks," Colleen said sincerely, blushing a bit, herself. _For everything._

* * *

Back at HQ, Lieutenant Woods removed his headset and sighed in relief, saying, "That was too close…"

"You've got that right." Lieutenant Rose agreed, having removed her headset as well. "We need to activate Busters Gold and Silver, and fast."

"You're right…" Captain Shields said reluctantly, removing his headset and standing up from his desk. "Follow me."

With that, the two followed him out of the room, walking down the hall to find a private place to talk.

* * *

 _Well, I've got all the data I need, now._ Enter thought to himself, a sadistic smile on his face as he closed his laptop, placing it on a metal table inside the warehouse where he hid. _Now comes the fun part…_

"Destroying them." He said aloud, balling his right hand into a fist.

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

Inside a dark room in another city, a shadowy figure typed away on a keyboard, the only light in the room coming from the large monitor in front of him.

Lifting up his head, another figure sitting on a bed spoke, saying, "Nate…? What're you doing up?"

"Hacking. And it's finally paid off." Nate replied, turning around and gesturing to the screen, where he had hacked into the GPU's mainframe. A picture showing Gold and Silver Ranger suits could be seen. Adjusting his glasses, the teen continued, saying, "Pack your bags, Shawn. It's time we moved to Starview Heights."

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, Graham, Colin, and Colleen can be seen in a large, gray expanse, all three of them watching a recording of their mothers' deaths with solemn looks on their faces. Out of nowhere, raindrops begin to fall, filling the screen with color as the vocals start.*)**_

 _ **~Take a breath, take a long look around before you step,**_

 _ **Cuz the tide is coming, swallowing the ground.~**_

 _ **(*Graham whips his head around desperately as water begins to fill the room, threatening to drown the three teens. Beating on the walls, he tries to break free, to no avail*)**_

 _ **~And there's no way to tell if we will drown tonight,**_

 _ **Or we'll be found tonight.~**_

 _ **(*An image of Graham, Colin, and Colleen's dead bodies drifting along in the water can be seen, only to disappear a moment later, the whole thing being revealed as a nightmare as Graham sits up in bed, screaming.*)**_

 _ **~So come in close, if the current gets us, then it get us both,**_

 _ **We can't wait here anymore.~**_

 _ **(*As Graham walks down the sidewalk, he spots Colleen off in the distance. Gazing at her longingly, he rushes over to her, only for a wall of solid energy to separate them, causing him to frown. The Vaglass come out of nowhere, storming the area and firing at them both. The two look up, realizing they have no choice but to fight.*)**_

 _ **~So if the waves come, let 'em take us,**_

 _ **As they cover you and me, and they pull us underneath.~**_

 _ **(*Graham, Colin, and Colleen rush to fight the Buglars, instantly morphing as they punch and kick the footsoldiers into submission. Seeing Enter, Graham charges him, slashing wildly. However, he is thrown onto his back by the Avatar, who walks up to him, pointing a laser pistol at his head. Demorphing, Graham grimaces, accepting his defeat.*)**_

 _ **~I hope that fate will forgive us, for tempting the sea,**_

 _ **I hope that they won't forget us!~**_

 _ **(*Graham turns to Colin and Colleen as the three are dragged into Hyperspace by Enter. No doubt, the three are to be executed for opposing the Vaglass. Bowing his head, Graham prays a desperate prayer, as Colleen looks at him, a single tear running down her cheek.*)**_

 _ **~No, we can't go back,**_

 _ **To the way it used to be.~**_

 _ **(*Waking up on the grass, Graham stands up, realizing it was all another dream. Looking to his right, he sees Colin and Colleen, the latter of the two waving him over with a smile. Taking a quick look at a picture of his mother in his pocket, Graham puts it away before joining his friends, a smile on his face despite himself. Seeing this, Colin pats him on the back, and Colleen reaches for his hand. Graham nervously takes it, squeezing it lightly as the three friends walk towards the sunset, the song ending as the camera pans away.*)**_

 ***End Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **A/N:** Happy Easter, everyone! Hope you enjoyed the chapter; please review, and stay tuned for more! I'm not doing a preview for the next episode this time, so here's a list of all the references as per usual to wrap this all up.

 **[1]-** Dabbing. Must. DIE.

 **[2]-** This isn't Graham's Aunt Tammy; this is a different character. They just happen to share the same name. The truth is, they're both based on real people from my life and changing either one of their names would've felt awkward. I'll try to differentiate by referring to them as Aunt Tammy and Tammy C., respectively.

 **[3]-** Just who is this mysterious ex of Graham's? Well, it's a secret, since it'll play into his development later on. She's based on my real ex, though, that's all I'll say for now. (Her name has been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.)

 **[4]-** Calvary is a _really_ over-used church name. Seriously, it doesn't matter where you live-look up Calvary on Google Maps, and your phone will blow up with listings of churches from all different denominations and beliefs. I get that Calvary is important-that's where Jesus was crucified, after all-but its been used so many times now that I can't help but laugh when I hear one of my church-friends say, "Check it out, that person goes to Calvary!" And just like Daniel, my response usually is, " _Which_ Calvary?".


	6. Ep 6: Room For Two More, Part 1

**A/N:** Hey guys, xXRocketShark216Xx here, with the latest episode of Spy-Busters Redux! I lightly hinted at it last time, but I'm going to confirm it right now-we're going to get two new Rangers in this episode.

I'd just like to clarify-these two are _not_ sixth rangers. I know, I know, in the Sentai, Beet and Stag Buster were both _considered_ to be "sixth" rangers (that's a pet peeve of mine, btw. Sixth rangers who aren't actually the sixth member of the team.), but in my version, they're part of the core team. We're going to get an _actual_ sixth Ranger in this story much later on, so if you were sitting there thinking to yourself, "Man, we're only six episodes in, and he's already introducing our sixth rangers?", fear not. They're only fourth and fifth. (Also, in case anyone was wondering, we're going to have a team of seven Rangers by the end of this story. Just thought I'd share that. I'm keeping our sixth and seventh Rangers' colors a secret, though.)  
Anyway, with that out of the way, it's time for the debut of Buster Gold and Buster Silver! I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review!

(PS. Please cast your vote for your favorite Ranger on my profile using the official Spy-Busters Popularity Poll. We really need to get the ball rolling on that.)

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

It had been about a week or so since Springloid's defeat, and Graham and Colleen were sitting in Band, their last class of the day. Mr. Leon, the Band Director, had already finished up his lesson, so the room full of teens was now eagerly anticipating the bell, which would grant them the ability to leave once it was rung.

Eventually, the bell did ring, prompting everyone to stand up from their seats and start gathering their things. Graham grabbed his Band book and stuffed it into his messenger bag before carefully disassembling his clarinet, gently placing the pieces into a padded case before shutting and locking it; he then proceeded to sling his bag over his shoulder, carrying his clarinet case in his right hand.

On the other side of the room, Colleen was waiting for him, having packed away her own Band book, as well as her flute.

"You ready to get out of here?" She asked, slinging her yellow backpack over her shoulder. "We need to report in to HQ; Captain Shields has something he wants to discuss with us."

"Yeah, I'm ready." Graham replied with a nod. "Lead the way."

With that, they exited the band room, walking together in the midst of their classmates as they all headed down the hall, stopping at their lockers along the way in order to gather/put away their things.

Stepping over to his locker, Graham unlocked and opened it before sorting through his messenger bag, getting rid of any textbooks he didn't need and trading them for ones he did.

Once he was done, he shut his locker and re-attached the lock, giving it a small shake to make sure it was properly locked.

Satisfied, he turned and walked to the other side of the hall, where Colin and Colleen had reunited and were exchanging things our of their own lockers. Shutting and locking them, the twins turned to Graham, the two of them now prepared to leave.

"Let's get going," He said, gaining a nod from his friends. Turning to leave, he guided them out the front doors of the school and across the street, which led to the downtown area. Glancing back to the other two, he said, "Which teleporter should we use?"

"Well, the one in the alley between the hardware store and the diner is closest, but this is when the diner gets really busy so we can't use it without being spotted." Colin mused. "We could use the one inside that alcove in the mall."

"No, that's too far of a walk, and I'm the only one that's a speedster." Graham pointed out, shaking his head. "Besides, the mall's being renovated; the Captain probably decommissioned that one to prevent anyone from finding it."

"There's always the one by the old Dairy Aisle." Colleen chimed in. "That one's super incognito; no one's gonna be there because it went out of business a while ago, and even if it hadn't, they'd be closed since it's not summer yet."

"Good point. We'll use that one." Graham said, to which the other two nodded in approval.

With that discussion over with, the three headed down the sidewalk, eventually walking down the street that led to the Dairy Aisle in question.

"Y'know, it's kind of a shame this place went bust." Colleen said with a sigh, as they reached their destination. "They were the only place that sold Smurf ice-cream in the city. Their milkshakes were amazing, too."

"They _were_ pretty good." Graham added, a wistful look in his eyes. Shaking his head, he continued by saying, "Now c'mon, we don't have time for reminiscing. Let's go see what the Captain has to say."

"You think he's gonna give us the night off?" Colin asked. "Patrol has been _super_ boring this week."

"Get outta town," Colleen said with a laugh, lightly punching her twin on the shoulder.

With that, they stepped into the teleporter and warped away to GPU HQ, not knowing that nearby, a small security camera attached to an adjacent building was pointed towards the Dairy Aisle, having seen the whole thing.

* * *

"Well, that's the last of the teleporters." Seventeen year old Nate said cooly, typing some notes into a word processor and deleting the footage from the security camera he'd just remotely hacked into before closing down the backdoor he had used in order to erase every trace of evidence. Shutting his laptop and slipping it into a gray laptop bag, he turned to his friend, saying, "Looks like we're almost ready for Phase 1 of our plan."

"Now all that's left is the move." Seventeen year old Shawn replied, following Nate out of their shared bedroom as they stepped out into the hall, both wheeling small suitcases behind them. "I can't wait to get out of this _hellhole_."

"Tell me about it," Nate agreed, slinging his laptop bag over his shoulder as they walked down the hallway of the Catholic orphanage where they resided. "I doubt the other place is much better, though."

"Yeah, but at least it'll be closer to work!" Shawn said with a laugh, elbowing his friend after receiving no response. "C'mon, why aren't ya laughing?"

"This isn't a game, Shawn. Remember that." Nate said coldly, stepping outside and walking onto the parking lot, where a black car was waiting to drive them to their new orphanage.

Loading their luggage into the trunk, both boys closed it and got into the backseat, where Nate buckled his seatbelt before turning to face his friend.

"This is our one shot at revenge." Nate said quietly, a serious look on his face. "We can't afford to screw this up."

"I understand that." Shawn told him, buckling his own seatbelt. "Trust me, I know good and well what we're getting into. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be a stick in the mud like you."

"I'm not a stick in the mud," Nate said defensively, folding his arms and furrowing his eyebrows. "I'm just focused on our mission."

"So am I. But that doesn't mean we can't have fun along the way." Shawn countered, a smile on his face as he continued with, "Now, onto more important matters. What color am I gonna be?"

"You'll see when we get there." Nate told him, causing the boy to pout as the car took off, leaving Daytona, Florida and heading for its destination of Starview Heights, Georgia.

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**_

 _ **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**_

 _ **(*Shots of Graham, Colin, and Colleen flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, and Colleen is riding a bike. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**_

 _ **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**_

 _ **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**_

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 _ **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**_

 _ **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**_

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist, as Colin and Colleen follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, the other two quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the three spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 _ **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*A shot of Graham, Colin, and Colleen each piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot piloted by a Metaloid is shown. Gripping the controls, the three each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**_

 _ **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing side by side, all three of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the three instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, the three rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 6: Room For Two More, Part 1**

"Recognized: Graham, B-06."

"Recognized: Colin, B-04."

"Recognized: Colleen, B-05."

"Alright, you're here." Lieutenant Rose said as they walked into the common area, holding a tablet in her arms. Typing a message of some sort into it before sending it, she looked back at the Rangers, saying, "Captain Shields wants to speak with you."

"We know, he told us this morning at breakfast." Colin told her. "Any idea what he wants to talk about?"

"I'm afraid that information is classified right now." Lieutenant Rose informed him. "I'm not allowed to say anything about it out here, because there are too many cadets who don't have the proper clearance to hear this info. The information can't leave the Command Room for some time."

"Got it," Graham said with a nod, walking towards the Command Room with the twins in tow.

" _What was all that about?"_ Colleen whispered, a little confused regarding Lieutenant Rose's behavior. " _Did either of you notice how weird she was acting?"_

" _She was acting pretty weird…"_ Colin observed, stroking his chin. " _I wonder what the hell's going on…"_

" _Watch your language, man."_ Graham sharply whispered, to which Colin rolled his eyes. Continuing, he said, " _As far as what's going on, I have no idea, either. Let's just see what Captain Shields has to say. Whatever it is, it's obviously important."_

" _Good point,"_ Colleen agreed, as the three stepped into the Command Room.

"I see you've arrived." Captain Shields observed, standing up from his post and walking over to them. Turning to a group of cadets working in the room, he said, "I need everyone to clear out of here. Martin, you can stay in here."

"Yes sir." Lieutenant Woods said with a salute, ushering the other cadets out of the room before walking back up to the Captain, standing directly next to him as they faced the Rangers.

"There's something you wanted to discuss, sir?" Graham asked, standing at attention alongside the others.

"Yes there is, Graham. Something very important." Captain Shields replied in a very serious tone. "It's about the Vaglass. They're getting stronger."

"You can say _that_ again," Lieutenant Woods added.

"They have been getting pretty tough…" Graham observed. "The Metaloids in particular. Lately, every single one that Enter makes seems to be designed specifically to counter our powers and weakpoints. It's almost like he's studying us…"

"My thoughts exactly." Captain Shields said, nodding in agreement. "Which is why we need to boost our numbers. You three _are_ improving over time, but so is the enemy. We cannot allow them to overpower us, or humanity will be destroyed in no time. Which is why we're going to be recruiting additional Rangers soon."

"We're getting more Rangers?" Colleen asked.

"Why?" Colin question, folding his arms. "We're a good team, and we're the only people qualified for the job. We don't need more Rangers dragging us down."

"Actually, I think we could use the help." Graham chimed in, a thoughtful look on his face. "After all, there were five or six Rangers in Harwood Country fighting that Armada or whatever. They did a pretty good job." **[1]**

"Yeah, but so have we, and we only have three members." Colin countered. "We work really good together as a unit; more members will just ruin things. I mean, it'll take time for us to gel with new people. Besides, where are we even gonna find people capable of handling Ranger Technology? Last time I checked, _we're_ the only three Metahumans in existence."

"That's not necessarily true." Captain Shields told him. "After the events that took place ten years ago, we _did_ get calls regarding other children hit with energy beams that survived but developed Metahuman powers as a side-effect. However, none of them were really strong enough to be Rangers, and one of the candidates even died after his power tore his body apart at the cellular level. I'm sure there are more out there, though, and among them, there has to be _someone_ capable of handling our Ranger tech. Which is why fairly soon, we're going to begin scouting for candidates to wield our newest Ranger systems-Buster Gold and Buster Silver."

With that, the Captain gestured over towards Lieutenant Woods, who pressed a button on a remote he was holding. This caused a large metal table to rise up from the floor, and on top of it was a small glass case. Pressing another button, he caused it to open, revealing two golden, cell-phone esque devices, one of which he picked up and waved in front of the Rangers.

"These are the Morphin' Blasters. They're reworked versions of prototype morphers created by Prof. William Miles before he...well, y'know." Lieutenant Woods began, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Their default mode is that of a cell phone. It works as a clever disguise, and it'll come in handy for communications. Their second configuration is Blaster Mode, which I will now show you."

Pressing a button on the side of the Morphin' Blaster, he transformed it into a gun, with the translucent orange screen of the Phone Mode extending outward to form a strange visor of some sort, similar to the Morphin' Braces.

"In this mode, the Morphin' Blasters can fire small energy blasts, y'know, just like a real blaster. They can also allow the users to transform into Buster Gold or Buster Silver."

"These new suits are modelled after beetles. Gold is a Rhinoceros Beetle, and Silver is a Stag Beetle. Their Zords, the Beetle Strikers, match this motif." Captain Shields explained, as holographic images of the Gold and Silver Ranger uniforms appeared. "Both suits are designed for strategic users in mind. Built-in transmitters in the helmet boost mental commands, which in turn will boost the user's reaction time, and an internal mental shield will deny enemy access to the user's mind."

"I take it you're looking to give these to Metas with mental-based powers?" Colleen guessed.

"Excellent observation, Colleen." Captain Shields said. "Yes, these morphers were designed for Metahumans with mental-based powers. In particular, we've received multiple reports of two Metahumans with the abilities of Telekinesis and Hyper-Detection, respectively. They're our prime candidates, but we've been unable to pinpoint their exact location. We're gonna keep trying, though."

"Anything else?" Colin asked, to which Captain Shields quickly nodded.

"As a matter of fact, there is one more thing. But it absolutely _cannot_ leave this room, understand?" Captain Shields paused for a moment, waiting until the three nodded before continuing. "Over the past week or so, we've detected multiple breaches in our mainframe's firewall. Back doors, unauthorized sub-routines, holes in the code; someone's been hacking into our database."

" _Enter…_ " Graham said, clenching his fist and letting out a low growl.

"I thought so, too, but it can't be." Captain Shields told him. "We've traced the breaches to somewhere outside the city. We don't have many leads, but our best guess is that the hacker is based in Daytona, Florida."

"Interesting…" Colleen said. "Any plans to shut them down?"

"We have a few, but until we find out exactly where they are, there's not much that can be done." Captain Shields pointed out. "Now listen. No one else knows this except for Lieutenant Rose, and even then she's being kept in the dark a bit due to her working with lower-ranking officers on a fairly regular basis. If this gets out, it'll create panic in the organization. I have to know I can trust you not to say anything."

"Don't worry. Our lips are sealed." Graham said.

"I'll keep it a secret." Colleen told him.

"You can count on us, Captain." Colin added.

"I know I can, son." Captain Shields assured him. "I just can't afford to be careless. You three can go, now. Vaglass activity has been next to nonexistent this past week, so we don't really need you on patrol."

"Understood," Graham said, turning to leave the room.

"Alllright! No patrol!" Colin hollered in excitement. Sticking his tongue out at his sister, he said, "And you didn't think it was possible!"

Letting out a laugh, Colleen lightly flicked her twin on the forehead before turning to Captain Shields and saying, "See you at home, Captain."

"I'll be there," Captain Shields told her, ruffling her hair a bit as she and her brother turned to leave.

She may not have been his biological daughter, but he still saw her and her twin as family. He'd raised him as his own alongside Sonia since their mother had died, and he loved the three of them equally.

As for Graham, he'd been prepared to do the same for him, but he still had family left, and they refused to let him be a Ranger all those years ago. He let them talk him into the memory alteration, but deep down, he'd known there would come a day when Graham would need to learn the truth. In truth, that was one of the deciding factors in finally allowing Colin and Colleen to attend public school again-he'd had a gut feeling the Vaglass were about to return and he knew he needed to find Graham again and make the team complete.

Whoever this hacker was, Captain Shields was hoping and praying they weren't aiming to harm the Rangers. Captain Shields cared for the three teens very much, and he wanted nothing more than for them to be safe. He'd stop at nothing to make sure their mission to defeat the Vaglass was a safe one.

* * *

A Few Days Later…

It was now Monday. Graham reluctantly walked into Mr. Kingsley's classroom just in time for his 4th Period Class, sitting down at his assigned table as the rest of his classmates filed in. Idle chatter filled the room as the numerous teens conversed amongst eachother. Eventually, everyone settled into their seats, and the room grew quiet.

Just in time, too, as the bell rang just a couple of seconds later, signifying the start of 4th Period. Right after that, Mr. Kingsley stepped into the room, his trademark stoic expression on his face as he stepped behind his desk, scanning the teens like he suspected them all of murder or something.

Clearing his throat, Mr. Kingsley spoke up, saying, "Alright, everyone, welcome back to 4th Period Biology. I hope everyone had a good weekend. I'll be handing out your graded tests from Friday rather shortly, but first, I'd like to welcome a new student. C'mon in, bud."

Hearing this, Graham looked to the front of the class, as a tall, Caucasian male with shaggy, chestnut brown hair and icy blue eyes stepped into the room, with an optimistic look on his face.

The new guy wore an outfit consisting of a white short-sleeved t-shirt underneath a black, button-down dress shirt with a gray bow-tie, black dress-pants with gray suspenders, and black dress shoes with matching dress socks.

Waving to the class, the boy said, "Hey everyone. I'm Shawn Cupples. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Shawn." Mr. Kingsley replied. "Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself? Tell us where you're from."

"Oh, I'm from Florida." Shawn said, a relaxed grin forming on his face. "I moved here with my brother last week. We live at the local Orphanage, and-"

"Is that why you're dressed like a Jesus freak?" Matthew Holmes asked, causing his classmates to laugh.

Chuckling, Chase added, "Yeah, he looks a lot like Bible Boy did when I caught him walking home from Sunday school a couple of weeks ago."

"Now, class, settle down." Mr. Kingsley said, attempting to put an end to the laughter. "Mr. Ulry may believe in some... _abstract_ concepts, but we shouldn't poke fun because of that."

"Why not? He tries to upstage _you_ all the time." Tony pointed out.

"Yes, but Graham actually _does_ his assignments, unlike you." Mr. Kingsley countered, causing people to laugh at the teen's expense. "He may not agree with what I teach, but he still puts in the effort to learn while sticking to his personal beliefs. Even as an Atheist, I can respect that. As for Shawn, I don't know what he believes, but that's his business and his alone. Speaking of which, Shawn, there's an empty spot at Table 4 next to Graham if you want it."

"Sounds good," Shawn replied with a mock-salute, walking over to the empty seat and sitting down next to Graham. Looking to the teen, he quietly said, "So, I take it you're Catholic, too?"

"Apostolic, actually." Graham told him. "I seem to get a lot of grief for it, as you can see. I try not to let it bother me, though. I'm just trying my best to do what Jesus would want me to do."

"I can respect that. Jesus was a pretty awesome guy," Shawn replied. "Anyway, my name's Shawn. If you're interested, we can be friends or something. I'm new, so I obviously don't know anybody."

"I don't have a lot of friends, either." Graham told him. "My name's Graham. And I'd love to be your friend."

"Alright, my first friend at SHHS!" Shawn exclaimed, pumping his fist in excitement. "Just wait until Nate hears what an awesome guy I just became friends with! He'll be floored!"

Chuckling a bit at his new friend's behavior, Graham turned his attention to the front, as Mr. Kingsley began handing out graded papers from last week.

* * *

Forty five minutes later, the bell rang, signifying the end of 4th Period.

Standing up from his desk, Mr. Kingsley said, "Alright class, that's all for today. You're free to go to lunch. Don't forget to do your homework!"

Hearing this, everyone stood up from their desks, filing out of the classroom as quickly as they could. Slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder, Graham turned to Shawn, who was currently gathering up his own belongings.

"Well, looks like it's time for lunch." Graham said, as he and Shawn walked out of the classroom together. "I'm gonna go sit with my friends at the quad, you're more than welcome to join us if you'd like."

"Invitation accepted!" Shawn chirped, sounding rather excited. "Let me just grab my lunch from my locker, I'll meet you out there."

"Sounds like a plan." Graham said, leaving his new friend behind at his locker before walking over to his own, opening it up in order to put away his messenger bag before shutting and locking it again.

Heading to the cafeteria, Graham joined the rapidly growing line, getting his tray of food and carrying it outside to the quad with him. Waiting for him over by his favorite tree were Colin and Colleen, who waved to the boy as he made his way over to them.

"Hey Graham!" Colleen chirped, a huge grin forming on her face.

"Hi, Colleen." Graham said with a smile of his own.

"What's up, dude?" Colin asked, as Graham set his tray down on the ground next to the tree. "How's your day been?"

"It's been cool." Graham told him. "I made a new friend in Biology; I invited him to eat with us, I hope that's alright."

"No problem, dude, we don't mind." Colin replied. "We actually made a new friend, too. We met him in History; we invited him to eat with us too."

"Alright, cool." Graham said, a genuine look of excitement on his face. He had begun the school year pretty much alone aside from a few church friends he rarely got to see, then he gained two best friends in Colin and Colleen, and now he had made another friend in Shawn and was about to make yet _another_ in whoever it was the twins had invited. Things sure were looking up for the introverted apostolic. "I'm gonna go buy a Pitch Black from the vending machine, I'll be right back."

With that, he walked over to the vending machine and bought his drink before returning, picking up his tray and taking its place at the base of the tree. Setting his tray on his lap and his drink right next to him, Graham bowed his head and prayed a quiet prayer over his food before digging in, just as Shawn arrived.

"Hiya Graham!" Shawn greeted enthusiastically, carrying his lunch sack with him as he headed over to the tree. "Thanks again for letting me sit with you."

"It's no problem," Graham told him, before gesturing towards Colin and Colleen. "These are the friends I told you about."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Shawn." Shawn said politely, waving to the two as he took a seat across from them.

"Nice to meet you too, Shawn. I'm Colin, but you can call me 'CV'." Colin replied.

"I'm Colleen; Colin and I are twins." Colleen informed. "Welcome to SHHS, Shawn."

"Thanks. That means a lot."

"Don't mention it," Colin said. "Anyway, we invited another new guy from History class, he should be here any minute…"

"Is that him?" Graham asked, gesturing over to a tall, Caucasian male with short, somewhat unkempt jet black hair and icy blue eyes. He wore an outfit consisting of a golden short-sleeved t-shirt underneath a black unbuttoned button-down shirt, black jeans with a golden wallet chain that originated from his back pocket and was hooked onto one of his belt-loops, black and white Converse, and a pair of golden yellow-framed glasses that slightly magnified his eyes.

"Yep." Colin confirmed, waving the boy over. "Nate, over here!"

Hearing this, the boy walked over to them, speaking up almost immediately.

"Thanks for letting me sit with you." Nate said quietly, taking a seat next to Shawn. Turning to him, he said, "Nice to see you here, Shawn. Did these two invite you?"

"No, actually. The person who invited me is Graham." Shawn said, gesturing over to Graham.

"I see. Nice to meet you, Graham."

"Nice to meet you too, Nate." Graham replied with a smile.

Clearing her throat, Colleen said, "So, you two know eachother?"

"You're darn right we do!" Shawn hollered. "We're brothers!"

"Really? That's interesting, you don't look very alike." Colin observed. "I take it you two grew up together?"

"Yep!" Shawn said excitedly. "Isn't that right, Nate?"

Hearing this, Nate went quiet instantly, as a memory unearthed itself in his brain.

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

 _A seven year old Nate was sitting down on the sandy shores of Daytona Beach, building a sand-castle all by himself. It was almost done when the tide came in, drenching half of the castle and effectively erasing half of his work._

" _Bummer…" Nate mumbled, folding his arms and pouting a bit._

" _It's no big deal, Nate! We'll just start all over again!" A voice said, its owner revealed to be a seven year old Shawn. "Just leave it to me!"_

 _With that, Shawn took a toy dump truck and rammed it into the remains of the sand-castle, eliciting laughter from his friend by making funny sound effects to go along with the destruction._

 _Further up on the beach, both boys' mothers and fathers smiled at the two's behavior. They truly were the best of friends…_

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

" _You don't have to be blood to be family…"_ Nate muttered to himself, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. Looking to the others, he said, "That's right. We were best friends as kids, and we grew up together in the Orphanage after our parents died."

"We're practically inseparable!" Shawn added, wrapping his arm around his best friend's shoulder.

"Lucky me…" Nate joked, earning an elbow to the ribs.

"That's cool." Colin said. "We're all three orphans, too. Graham lives with his Aunt Tammy and Uncle Scott, and Colleen and I live with Logan Shields."

"You live with Sonia Shields' dad?!" Shawn exclaimed.

"He's our legal guardian!" Colleen chirped. "Sonia was like a sister to us before she went and got famous."

" _She was more than just a sister to a certain someone…"_ Graham said quietly, prompting Colin to slug him on the shoulder.

"Interesting…" Nate said, stroking his chin.

A few moments later, the bell rang, signifying the end of lunch period. Standing up, Colleen said, "Well, guess it's time to head back to class. Graham, Colin and I are gonna hang out after school, you two are more than welcome to tag along."

"We'd love to, but we have a lot of things to do." Nate told her.

"Like what?" Shawn asked. "C'mon, Nate, let's hang out with them! You're being a _major_ buzzkill."

"Major Buzzkill." Graham and Colleen said in unison, giving a mock-salute. **[2]**

Taking a deep breath, Nate replied, "Alright, alright. We'll hang out with you guys after school. Meet you outside after 7th Period?"

"Sounds like a plan," Colin said, standing up alongside Graham and his sister. "See you then."

With that, the three walked away, leaving Nate and Shawn alone at the quad, processing everything that had just occurred.

"Why'd you have to go and make friends with them like that?" Nate questioned. "That'll make what we're about to do ten times harder!"

"Not really. It'll make things easier, once we convince them to let us join them."

" _If_ we convince them." Nate corrected him. "I'm pretty sure stealing the morphers won't make them like us very much."

"C'mon Nate, we need the friends! Besides, they seem nice."

"...Oh, alright." Nate replied. "It doesn't make this feel any less scummy."

* * *

Meanwhile, Enter watched them from a hacked security camera of his own, sitting on a rusty metal chair inside his warehouse hideout.

"It seems these two newcomers are plotting to steal two new morphers from the GPU…" Enter observed. Turning to the hologram of Psycho, he said, "Should I dispose of them, Monsieur?"

"Do not waste your time on them, Enter." Psycho said firmly. "Focus on the three existing Rangers. We've studied their abilities, and we know how they all tick, now. It is time to exterminate the vermin."

"I couldn't agree more, Majeste." Enter replied, picking up an old pizza-cutter off of the table in front of him. "And I know just the Metavirus I'm going to use…"

 **~To Be Continued…~**

* * *

Author's Note: That's all for part one. It felt a bit shorter than most episodes, I know, but that felt like a natural stopping point for now, and I didn't want a repeat of the last two-parter I did, which was kind of lopsided. Again, there's no preview for the next episode this time, so here's a quick list of the references in this chapter.

 **[1]-** A quick little innocent nod to Megaforce, the season directly proceeding this one in the timeline. (In this continuity, Dino Charge and Ninja Steel never happened, and neither will any of the other Neo-Saban seasons after Megaforce.) I thought it'd be cool to show Graham have some knowledge of the Megaforce Rangers, considering he and his team will eventually fight alongside them in this season's team-up episode.

 **[2]-** A reference to my new favorite sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. It's also a really subtle Gralleen hint, but...I guess it's lost its subtlety now that I pointed it out. _Oops_.

Well, that's it for now. Until next time, review with your thoughts, and remember: Tip your waiters, flirt with your waitresses, and ALWAYS protect the environment.-xXRocketShark216Xx, the Introverted Power Rangers Fan~


	7. Ep 7: Room For Two More, Part 2

**A/N:** Hey everyone, I'm back with part two! Hopefully you enjoy it. Please review!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

Graham, Colin, and Colleen were in the middle of PE, doing an exhausting series of sit-ups, when out of nowhere, the bell rang, signifying the end of 7th Period and effectively, the school day.

"Alright, maggots, you're free to go!" Coach Fembley hollered, causing everyone to collectively sigh in relief as they stood to their feet. "We'll pick up where we left off on Wednesday!"

Hearing this, everyone headed to the locker rooms. Graham and Colin followed their fellow guys into the men's locker room, while Colleen followed her female classmates into the women's one.

"Man, that was brutal…" Colin groaned, slipping out of his gym clothes and removing his glasses before taking a quick shower. Once he was done, he dried off with a small towel and slipped back into his casual outfit. Putting his glasses back on, he turned to Graham and said, "I'm fucking exhausted, dude."

"Same. Only without the coarse language." Graham replied, patting his hair dry with a towel before throwing on his t-shirt and hoodie. Looking to his friend, he said, "You ready to go?"

"Yep. Let's get Colleen and find Nate and Shawn." Colin replied, slinging his gym bag over his shoulder as he left the locker room, with Graham following closely behind him.

After finding Colleen, they left the gymnasium, entering back into the main building and stopping at their lockers. Sorting through to make sure they had all the books and materials they'd need to complete their homework/studying for the night, the three shut and locked their lockers before joining back up, blending into the crowd as the large mass of teens walked down the hall towards the front entrance.

Stepping out onto the front yard of the school, Graham and the others turned to see Nate and Shawn, who were waiting by the steps.

"We still on?" Shawn asked, slinging a gray drawstring backpack over his shoulders.

"You know it," Colin replied, fist-bumping the boy as the five crossed the street and began walking towards the downtown area.

"Where're we headed?" Nate questioned, adjusting the strap to his laptop bag.

"I don't know, maybe Puzzle's?" Graham suggested. "You two like pizza, right?"

"Who doesn't?" Shawn replied, letting out a laugh.

"Alright, Puzzle's it is." Colleen said, as the five continued towards the downtown area.

* * *

A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination, a medium-sized pizzeria. The building was primarily made of bricks, and above the front door, there was a sign with a logo depicting a pizza shaped like a puzzle piece, with the words "Puzzle's Pizza" written in big, multicolored bubble letters.

"Well, here we are." Graham said. "Puzzle's Pizza, the best pizzeria in Starview Heights."

Hearing this, Shawn said, "That's a bit of a bold claim. I'll take your word for it, though."

"Why's it called Puzzle's, anyway?" Nate asked, seeming a little confused.

" _That's_ the puzzle." Colin said, as if it were obvious. **[1]**

"Well, we'd better get in there and order before the dinner crowd starts showing up." Graham said, stepping towards the door and opening it up for everyone. "Go on in, guys."

"Thanks, Graham." Colleen said as she walked through the door, causing Graham to blush a bit.

"N-No problem," He replied, rubbing the back of his head as Colin, Nate, and Shawn headed inside after her. Once they were all through, he kept the door open for a few seconds in case anyone else wanted to go inside.

Seeing that no one else was coming, Graham went inside himself, shutting the door behind him and ringing the bell.

"Hi, welcome to Puzzle's, where our pizza makes everything fall into place!" A young hostess said. "How may I help you?"

"Table for five, please." Graham said politely.

"Alright, table for five it is." The hostess replied, reaching under her station and retrieving five menus before continuing, saying, "Right this way, guys."

With that, they all headed to their table, with Graham and the twins completely unaware that their lives as Rangers were about to gain a whole new dimension

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**_

 _ **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**_

 _ **(*Shots of Graham, Colin, and Colleen flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, and Colleen is riding a bike. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**_

 _ **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**_

 _ **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**_

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 _ **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**_

 _ **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**_

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist, as Colin and Colleen follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, the other two quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the three spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 _ **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*A shot of Graham, Colin, and Colleen each piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot piloted by a Metaloid is shown. Gripping the controls, the three each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**_

 _ **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing side by side, all three of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the three instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, the three rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 7: Room For Two More, Part 2**

"-Alright, so we're about to get to the best part of the story." Shawn said in-between bites of pepperoni pizza, pausing for a moment to take a swig of water. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he continued, saying, "Okay, so you remember how Wally slipped some cinnamon powder into Nate's milk during breakfast? Well, what I didn't mention was that we were about to go to Mass, so Nate was wearing dress clothes like the rest of us. So anyway, he took a giant swig and coughed almost immediately, sending cinnamon and milk flying everywhere. It was on the front of his outfit, the table, his hair, _everywhere_. And since no one else had any spare dress clothes that fit him, Nate had to spend a three hour service with a soaked shirt and dirty hair. I don't know what he did for Confession that day, but I'm sure it had something to do with wanting to beat the tar out of Wally for the awesome practical joke."

"That was not _awesome_." Nate countered, furrowing his eyebrows a bit at the memory. Taking a bite of pizza, he said, "Not only was I _bored_ like I am every Sunday, I was also _uncomfortable_. So yeah, for Confession, I did admit to wanting to clobber Wally."

"Man, that's hilarious!" Colin said, pausing in order to regain his breath after launching into a fit of laughter.

"That _is_ pretty funny," Colleen nodded in agreement, giggling a bit.

"I've had funny stuff like that happen to me at church, too." Graham began. "One time when I was thirteen, we were in the middle of service when they started handing out stuff for our annual Communion. I'm kind of a klutz, and the cups they give you that hold the expired grape juice or whatever are tiny and really hard to hold. I was waiting for Bro. Brown to tell us it was okay to drink it, when I lost my grip, spilling it all down my front and soaking the blue dress shirt I was wearing." **[2]**

"Oh my gosh, that's hilarious!" Colleen said, giggling even harder than she had before.

"Y-You really think so?" Graham asked her, growing noticeably flustered.

"Absolutely!" Colleen chirped, breaking into a fit of laughter.

 _It wasn't really funny at all…_ Nate thought to himself, furrowing his eyebrows a bit. _What's up with these two, anyway? Are they dating or something? At the very least, they have to like eachother. I mean, why else would someone laugh at that?_

Chuckling a bit, Shawn said, "So what'd you do? Did you finish Communion?"

"Yeah, my youth leader Cameron was nice enough to keep a low-profile and get me another cup without making a big fuss." Graham said with a nod. "After that, I had to rush to the car and change into spare clothes I had brought for after service. All I can say is thank the Lord our youth group was going on a field trip in-between services that day."

Out of nowhere, an electronic beeping could be heard, emitting itself from Graham, Colin, and Colleen's Morphin' Braces.

Placing their hands over their wrists to try and muffle the noise, the three looked at eachother and nodded, before turning to face Nate and Shawn.

Standing up, Graham put four one-dollar bills on the table and said, "Well, it's been fun, but I'd better head home. There's my share of the bill."

"Here's ours," Colin said, placing a ten dollar bill on the table to pay for him and Colleen as they stood to their feet. Looking to Nate, he said, "You two can keep the change."

"Thanks, man." Nate replied, pulling out his wallet and setting down a five and three ones to pay for him and Shawn. Collecting all the money together, he gestured for the waiter, saying, "Here's our money. Are we good to go?"

"Absolutely, sir." The waiter replied, taking the money that Nate handed him. "Just let me get your change and then you're free to leave."

With that, he returned to the register and rang them up, taking out two dollar bills to give to Nate as change. Returning to the table, he handed him the bills, saying, "Thank you for choosing Puzzle's Pizza, we hope you come again."

"Will do," Nate replied, standing up and scooting his chair in. Looking to Graham, he said, "I guess we'll see you three at school tomorrow?"

"Yep," Graham said with a nod, as they all walked to the door and exited the building.

Within moments, they went their separate ways. Graham, Colin, and Colleen headed for the nearest teleporter, while Nate and Shawn went in the opposite direction, appearing as if they were headed home.

Once they were far enough away, Shawn looked to Nate and asked, "Was that noise what I think it was?"

"Yep. Their morphers." Nate replied, a smirk on his face. "There's an attack going on...which makes this the perfect time to strike. C'mon, follow me."

With that, he led his partner in crime to a nearby alley, with a door that led to a seemingly abandoned store of some kind. Opening the door, Nate revealed a teleporter, reaching for his laptop bag and pulling out his laptop immediately afterwards.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Shawn questioned, sounding a little skeptical.

"I'm sure," Nate said as he typed away at his computer, hacking into the teleporter. Hearing his laptop emit an electronic ding, he looked up at his friend, saying, "We're in. Step inside the teleporter."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea…" Shawn said, seeming a little nervous.

"Quit being so nervous!" Nate told him. Giving him a light shove, he said, "Get in already."

Shawn reluctantly obliged, stepping into the teleporter and warping away, hopefully to GPU Headquarters. Seeing him teleport successfully, Nate stored his laptop back in its bag and slung it over his shoulder before going in after him.

"Let's hope this works," He said to himself, as he vanished and warped away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Graham and the twins were on their way to the scene of the nearest attack, having used a teleporter to warp to a nearby area before going the rest of the way on foot.

As they reached a university of some kind, Colin said, "We should have reported in to Captain Shields. What're we even looking for?"

"No idea, but if I had to guess, I'd say Enter sitting down eating pizza would be a great place to start," Colleen said, gesturing over to a nearby picnic table where Enter was indeed sitting down, using a pizza-cutter to cut into a personal pan pizza.

Taking a freshly cut slice and biting into it, Enter looked to the Rangers and greeted them, saying, "Salutations, Spy-Busters! I was hoping you'd show up."

"What're you up to, Enter?" Graham demanded. "And where's the Metaloid?"

"You seem a little anxious to meet your new friend," Enter said teasingly, standing up from his chair with his pizza cutter in hand. "Very well...I'm going to give you a rare treat today, Buster Red. I'm going to show you and your friends how a Metaloid is born."

With that, he whipped out his laptop, connecting it to a nearby Enertron tank by a long wire before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a Metavirus card.

"Virus...Install." He said, scanning the card on his laptop's scanner before placing it on top of his pizza cutter. The card quickly attached itself to the inanimate object via little red wires.

The pizza cutter began to glow white with energy as it absorbed the data from the card; within moments, it had transformed into a large, gray robot themed after blades.

"Meet Cutterloid," Enter said with a bow. "I hope you have fun."

Jumping into the air, Enter vanished, leaving the Ranger alone to face this new threat.

"I'm gonna shred you into bits!" Cutterloid hollered, his voice full of venom. Raising his cutter arm, he summoned a squadron of Buglars, sending them forward with a command of, "Buglars, attack!"

Seeing this, Colin clenched his fist, saying, "We need to morph!"

"My thoughts exactly," Graham agreed. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!" The three called out in unison, instantly morphing into their Ranger forms as the footsoldiers rushed their position.

* * *

Inside GPU HQ, things were relatively quiet. Only a select few cadets were on duty, and the Common Area was devoid of any GPU personnel. Hence why no one was able to catch the following announcement on the intercom.

"Processing...Recognized: Nate, B-07."

"Processing...Recognized: Shawn, B-08."

"Alright, we're in!" Shawn chirped, pumping his fist as he strolled out of the teleporter and into the Common Area.

" _Ssssh!_ " Nate whispered sharply, his pointer finger pressed to his mouth as he attempted to quiet his partner in crime. " _You're gonna blow our cover."_

" _Oops…"_ Shawn whispered back somewhat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment. " _Where to next?"_

" _Wherever they're keeping the Morphin' Blasters."_ Nate answered, as if it were obvious.

" _But couldn't that be any number of places?"_ Shawn asked.

" _Exactly. Which is why we need to pinpoint their exact location."_ Nate told him, typing away on his laptop. _"I'm downloading a digital map of the complex. It shouldn't take too long, but we need a good place to hide until the download is finished. Follow me."_

With that, Shawn slowly followed Nate, and together, the two tiptoed their way over to a nearby broom closet.

Looking around to make sure no one had spotted them, Nate opened the door and stepped inside, with Shawn following right behind him. Closing his eyes and focusing really hard, Nate managed to move the door with his mind, closing it with some form of telekinesis.

* * *

Back on the battlefield, things were progressing at an abnormally slow rate in the fight against the Buglars.

"Man, these things just keep coming!" Graham complained as he fired away at Buglar after Buglar with his Spy-Blaster. Currently, it seemed that no end was in sight.

"I know, right? They're becoming a pain in the ass!" Colin grumbled, punching one Buglar in the stomach and flipping it onto its back to destroy it before kicking another Buglar in the face to knock it over. Whipping out his Spy-Blaster and shooting it, he took it out, as more Buglars continued to approach him. Seeing this, he spoke again, saying, "Uh, guys? I think we have an infestation on our hands…"

"You've got that right!" Colleen replied, firing away at the Buglars with her Spy-Blaster as they rushed her position one at a time. Seeing another wave of the footsoldiers approaching her, Colleen stood to her feet and brandished her Spy-Saber before taking the fight to them. Slashing one of the robots in the neck, she watched it spark uncontrollably as it died, before saying, "It's like they're multiplying!"

"We...need to finish this, now!" Graham said, as the Buglars began to overrun him. Using his superspeed to dash over to Colin, he looked to the Blue Ranger, saying, "Let's get these guys off our backs, CV!"

"Roger that!" Colin hollered, as he and Graham both twisted a mechanism on the barrels of their Spy-Blasters.

As two different waves of Buglars ran towards them, the Red and Blue Rangers pulled their triggers and hollered in unison, saying, "Spy-Blaster: Snapshot...STRIKE!"

This sent two golden beams of energy hurtling towards their attackers, cutting through them like a hot knife through butter. On the other side of the battlefield, Colleen used her superagility to vault into the air, where she pressed a button on her Spy-Saber as she began gliding back down.

"Spy-Saber: Stakeout...SLASH!" She shouted, sending a golden wave of energy flying towards the group of Buglars below her in order to destroy them. Landing on the ground, she snapped her fingers as they exploded, marking their victory over the footsoldiers. "That takes care of them!"

"But it still leaves me!" Cutterloid boomed, swinging his cutter arm in the Yellow Ranger's direction. Colleen rolled sideways in order to dodge the attack, which only missed her by a small margin.

* * *

Hearing his laptop emit an electronic beep, Nate opened it up and looked at the screen, where a map of the complex was now being displayed.

"Alright, the download's complete." Nate said, signalling for Shawn to follow him as he opened the door and peeked out. Making sure they were clear, Nate led his friend back out into the hall, typing away at his laptop as they walked. Speaking once more, Nate said, "The Morphin' Blasters should be somewhere in the RnD department. Follow me."

"Yes sir!" Shawn exclaimed, with a mock salute.

Together, the two quietly made their way through the hall, ducking behind crates and boxes and hiding behind pillars whenever a GPU Cadet or Officer started walking in their direction.

By some miracle, they managed to make it to RnD completely undetected. Looking up, Nate peered through the plexiglas window, spotting the Morphin' Blasters sitting on top of a small metal table.

"Bingo," Nate said to himself, turning back to his laptop as he began hacking into the door in order to get inside.

* * *

Joining back up with Graham and Colin, Colleen turned to them and said, "This Metaloid seems really tough, guys! I don't know if we're gonna be able to beat him!"

"We'll see about that," Colin said arrogantly, clenching his fists before sprinting towards Cutterloid while screaming at the top of his lungs, saying, "LEEEEEEROY…JENKINS!" **[3]**

"Wait, Colin! We need to come up with some kind of a-" Graham began, stopping mid-sentence as Cutterloid slashed Colin's abdomen, sending him rolling onto his back. "-strategy…"

* * *

"Annnd...we're in." Nate said quietly, waiting for the door to RnD to open before stepping his telekinesis, he lifted the two Morphin' Blasters off the table, catching one in his hand and sending the other floating towards Shawn.

Watching as the boy awkwardly grabbed the morpher out of the air, Nate spoke again, saying, "You ready for this?"

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _Alright, Shawn, we're gonna test out your Hyper-Detection ability, today." A fifteen year old Nate said from atop his perch in the abandoned junkyard he and Shawn used to train. "Try and figure out where the targets are gonna be before they pop up, and remember-if you start to feel lightheaded, stop using your ability right away. We don't want your Weakpoint to knock you unconscious, again. Are you ready?"_

 _Hearing this, fifteen year old Shawn took a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare for the training exercise at hand._

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"Yeah. I'm ready." Shawn replied, gripping the Morphin' Blaster tightly before following Nate as he led him back to the teleporter.

* * *

"Wooooah!" Colin shouted as he flew through the air, having been tossed backwards by Cutterloid. Landing on the ground at Graham and Colleen's feet, he groaned in pain, saying, " _Oww…"_

"Colin!" Colleen cried out, concerned for her twin.

"CV, are you alright?" Graham asked after rushing to the Blue Ranger's side, getting no substantial response aside from a series of groans and whines. Turning his gaze to Cutterloid, he pointed at him before saying, "You'll pay for that!"

"That I will! Do you take energy blasts?" Cutterloid taunted, firing a large energy blast in his direction.

"Colleen, look out!" Graham shouted as the energy blast hurtled towards them, shoving her aside before using his superspeed to charge directly into the attack, thus taking the brunt of the damage.

"Graham!" Colleen called out, as the Red Ranger was launched backward by the ensuing explosion, landing on his back much like Colin had moments earlier. "Are you alright?"

"I'm afraid he is…but you won't be so lucky!" Cutterloid declared, charging another energy blast and preparing to fire it at the Yellow Ranger.

* * *

Seeing this, Captain Shields turned to Lieutenant Rose and said, "This is getting too dangerous! Lieutenant, teleport them out of there!"

"Already on it, Captain!" Lieutenant Rose hollered, as she typed away on her keyboard. Accessing the Rangers' comms, she spoke to them, saying, "Rangers, prepare for an immediate retreat! I repeat, we're teleporting you out of there! Do you copy?"

* * *

"Copy," Colleen replied via her Transpod. "Standing by for immediate evac!"

"No need!" A voice hollered, as two very familiar boys ran into the area. Turning around, Colleen saw none other than Nate and Shawn.

"Nate? Shawn? What are you two doing here?" She asked.

"Yeah. It's not safe," Graham warned as he struggled to his feet, turning to face their new friends. Looking closer, he asked, "Are those...the Morphin' Blasters?"

Nodding in confirmation, Nate replied by saying, "It's a long story; we'll explain everything later. But right now, we need to stop this Metaloid!"

Looking to his best friend, Shawn asked, "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"It does," Nate said with a smirk, raising his Morphin' Blaster and converting it to Blaster Mode. Seeing Shawn do the same, he spoke again, saying, "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!" The two hollered in unison as they pulled the trigger, initiating their transformation.

 **~Nate and Shawn Morphing Sequence~**

Nate and Shawn are both standing in a blank black space, which is slightly illuminated by faint white lights on the ground. Both are standing completely still, holding their Morphin' Braces in an elevated position in front of their faces.

A golden lightning bolt surges up through the ground into Nate's body, replacing his clothes with a white, skin-tight leather suit. Falling from the sky, several pieces of armor attach themselves to the suit, filling it with color.

The same thing happens to Shawn, only with the lightning bolt and armor pieces being colored silver and aqua blue as opposed to gold.

Finally, another lightning bolt strikes both boys' heads, forming their helmets and finishing the morph. The transformation is now complete.

 **~End Morphing Sequence~**

Having now morphed, Nate and Shawn stood proudly, as Graham and the twins looked at them in complete shock and awe.

Their suits were similar to the Red, Blue, and Yellow versions, in that they were leather instead of the traditional spandex and they also had Transpods on their left shoulders. That was pretty much where the similarities ended, though.

Nate's suit was primarily Gold and Shawn's was primarily Silver, but both suits had several sections accented in black. Both suits also had various pieces of metal armor attached to them, with Nate's armor being colored a shiny gold and Shawn's armor being more of a shiny aqua blue color.

Nate's suit was themed after a Rhinoceros beetle, with the top section of his helmet being gold with a head-crest resembling the beetle's trademark single horn. Nate's visor was bright gold and sat in-between his horn and flat silver mouth-piece.

Shawn's suit was themed after a Stag Beetle, with the top section of his helmet being silver with a head-crest resembling the beetle's trademark twin horns. His visor was the same blue color as his armor pieces, and rested in-between his horns and flat silver mouth-piece.

"I can't believe it…" Colin murmured. "They stole the Morphin' Blasters and became the Gold and Silver Rangers...but how?"

"Like I said, it's a long story," Nate told him. "Don't worry about it for now."

"This...this can't be happening!" Cutterloid exclaimed, his voice full of rage and anger. "There are _five_ rangers now?! This is an outrage!"

"I beg to differ... _this_ is your comeuppance. Rhinoceros Power!" Nate exclaimed, extending his left pointer and pinky fingers and folding over his other two fingers with his left thumb before moving his left hand in front of his face. "Buster Gold!"

"Stag Power!" Shawn said excitedly, spinning 360 degrees before giving a two-fingered salute. "Buster Silver!"

* * *

Speaking up, Lieutenant Rose said, "What do you make of this, Captain?"

"They somehow managed to sneak in here undetected and steal the Morphin' Blasters...I have a hunch that one of them must be our mystery hacker." Captain Shields said. "Things are about to get… interesting."

* * *

Getting over his initial shock, Cutterloid said, "GAH! This changes _nothing_! It doesn't matter how many Rangers there are! I'll take every last one of you straight down to hell!"

Snapping his fingers, Cutterloid prompted another squadron of Buglars to teleport in from Hyperspace, each of them awaiting his command.

Raising his arm, Cutterloid said, "Buglars, attack! Tear the Gold and Silver Rangers apart, until there's nothing left!"

"He won't get rid of us that easily," Nate said with a scoff, looking to Shawn before saying, "Follow my lead, alright?"

"You got it," Shawn replied, taking a fighting stance as the Buglars rushed their position.

"Let's go!" Nate commanded, charging into battle with Shawn following closely behind.

As he ran towards the Buglars, Nate slammed his left hand on his Transpod, materializing a long, gold and black sword. Gripping it tightly in his right hand, he slashed at the robotic footsoldiers, causing them to spark and fall to the ground before exploding.

"Drive Blade!" He hollered, naming the new weapon as more Buglars headed his way. Blocking a swing from one of the henchmen, he disarmed it before slashing it across the stomach, destroying it.

Summoning his own Drive Blade, Shawn hopped around the battlefield, slashing at Buglars left and right before vaulting back over to Nate.

Standing side by side, the two saw that they surrounded. Gripping their Drive Blades tightly, the two exchanged words with one another.

"Think we should finish this?" Shawn asked.

"Do it," Nate replied, prompting the Silver Ranger to nod.

Pressing a button on their swords, the two lifted the weapons above their heads, charging golden energy into the blades as they shouted, "Drive Blade: Swerving…SLASH!"

Once they had charged up enough energy, the two slashed downwards with the swords, unleashing the energy in two golden waves that cut through the Buglars like lightning.

"That takes care of them. Now all that's left is Cutterloid," Nate said, looking around for signs of the Metaloid. Getting confused, he continued by saying, "That's weird…where'd he go?"

"Let me see," Shawn said, lowering his head before using his Hyper-Detection in an attempt to find the Metaloid. A moment later, he jerked his head back up, saying, "Nate, look out!"

Turning around, Nate saw Cutterloid, who swung at him with his cutter arm. Reacting quickly, Nate rolled sideways in order to dodge, successfully doing so but only by a small margin.

"That was a close one," The Gold Ranger remarked, breathing a sigh of relief.

"What the-how did you manage to see that coming?!" Cutterloid demanded, dumbfounded that he was able to dodge in time.

"It's all thanks to Shawn," Nate told him, gesturing towards the Silver Ranger. "He used his Hyper-Detection."

"Hyper-what?!"

"Hyper-Detection; it's his Metahuman ability." Nate told him. "Basically, Shawn can concentrate the Enertron flowing through his body in order to scan his surroundings for incoming threats. Hence why he saw you sneaking up on me."

Hearing this, Colin said, "Wait a minute…that sounds a lot like-"

"One of the two Metahumans Captain Shields mentioned!" Graham realized. "And that must mean-"

"Yep. I'm a Metahuman, too." Nate finished.

"Are you _kidding_ me?!" Cutterloid roared. "What kind of parlor trick are you packing, then? Huh?!"

"Easy. That'd be Telekinesis." Nate told him. "In other words…"

Using his ability to lift a trash can with only his mind, Nate threw it at Cutterloid, saying, "I can move things with my mind!"

While Cutterloid was pre-occupied with the incoming trash can, Nate slid underneath of it and slashed at the Metaloid's legs, sweeping them out from underneath of him.

Seeing this, Shawn rushed to his best friend's side, saying, "Think we should finish this?"

" _Definitely_ ," Nate said with a nod, brandishing his Morphin' Blaster. Shawn did the same, and together, the two spoke in unison, saying, "Check!"

This caused their morphers to emit an electronic 'click', and the barrels of the Morphin' Blasters began to glow with golden energy. As the glowing intensified, they pointed the devices towards Cutterloid, saying, "Morphin' Blaster: Finale…FINISH!"

Pulling the triggers, the two sent a pair of golden energy blasts hurtling towards Cutterloid, cutting through the robot and causing him to spark uncontrollably.

Falling to the ground and grunting in frustration and pain, Cutterloid shouted, "This can't be happening!" before exploding.

"They did it…" Colleen murmured. "They actually did it…"

" _Naturally,_ " Nate scoffed, before an electronic beep prompted them all to look down at their morphers.

"Incoming transfer!" Colin hollered, looking up to see a giant portal forming in the sky.

* * *

Seeing this on the Command Room's holoscreen, Captain Shields looked to Lieutenant Woods and said, "Lieutenant, send the Zords!"

"Right away, sir!"

* * *

As a giant robot fell from the now fully-formed portal, Enter reappeared in the distance, using his energy tendrils to revive Cutterloid so he could pilot it. Seeing this, Graham looked to the twins and nodded, the three of them converting their Buddy Roids to Console Mode before boarding their Zords.

Watching all of this happen, Nate converted his Morphin' Blaster into Phone Mode and accessed his comms system, saying, "Requesting permission to launch the Beetle Strikers, sir!"

"No can do, kid." Captain Shields replied. "You and your friend fought admirably today, but that doesn't take away from the fact that you accessed our mainframe without permission and stole valuable technology from us. We'll discuss your punishment once this mission is over."

"But sir, we can help!" Shawn protested. "Please reconsider!"

"No means no, Buster Silver. This discussion is over."

" _Dammit,_ " Nate swore under his breath, turning his gaze to the Zord battle in progress.

"Let's not waste any time on this!" Graham hollered, driving his Zord closer to Colin and Colleen's. "Spy-Buster Megazord Formation: Activation!"

 **~Megazord Formation Sequence~**

"Spy-Buster Megazord: Online!" The three Rangers said in unison, gripping their controls tightly as Cutterloid's robot stomped towards them.

"I'm gonna eviscerate you brats!" Cutterloid boomed, slashing at the Megazord with his robot's cutter arm.

"Woah!" Graham and the twins shouted in unison, as the Megazord staggered backwards.

"Rangers, listen up!" Lieutenant Rose said, tapping into their comms. "The Megazord _can't_ withstand more hits like that; you need to take Cutterloid out, ASAP."

"We're on it." Graham replied, willing the Megazord forward and launching a series of punches towards Cutterloid's robot.

However, Cutterloid managed to dodge all of them, swinging his robot's cutter arm towards the Megazord in response.

Narrowly dodging the attack, Graham flipped a few switches above his head, saying, "This is too dangerous, we're disengaging! Guys, try to take him out individually!"

"Right!" Colin and Colleen said in unison, as the Megazord separated, freeing the trio to split up using their individual Zords.

Driving towards the robot, Graham slammed on the brakes, pressing a button to materialize his Cheetah Zord's Energy-Blasters.

"Energy-Blasters, fire!" He shouted, firing several energy blasts at their foe.

"Hahaha, you're joking, right?" Cutterloid taunted, kicking the Cheetah Zord aside with his robot's foot. "It's gonna take a lot more than that to bring me down!"

"Alright, that tears it!" Colin hollered, stepping on the gas and driving his Gorilla Zord towards the robot. "Missiles away!"

He then proceeded to fire a volley of missiles at Cutterloid's robot, which dodged most of them. The few that _did_ hit it didn't seem to do any damage, and in retaliation, Cutterloid slammed his robot's cutter arm into the Blue Ranger's Zord, sending it rolling backwards into the Cheetah Zord.

"Graham! Colin!" Colleen cried, concerned for her teammates. Flying her Rabbit Zord above the robot, she said, "You're gonna pay for that!"

She then proceeded to drop several bombs onto the robot, but they did very minimal damage. Swatting at the Yellow Ranger's Zord with his robot's cutter arm, Cutterloid caused her to spin out of control.

"This guy is too tough…" Graham groaned, breathing heavily. "We're never gonna beat him…"

* * *

"This is hopeless! They need more firepower!" Lieutenant Rose exclaimed, watching the chaos from her post.

Hearing this, Lieutenant Woods said, "Their Zords just aren't capable of taking down this kind of robot. The only Zords that can handle it are-"

"-The Beetle Strikers…" Captain Shields realized, tapping into Nate and Shawn's comms. "Gold, Silver, we're out of options. We're going to launch the Beetle Strikers. Summon your Drive Blades, you'll need them to pilot the Zords."

* * *

"Will do, sir." Nate replied, after which he and Shawn slammed their fists onto their Transpods, materializing their Drive Blades.

Folding them up into steering wheel-esque objects, the two spoke in unison, saying, "Drive Blade: Console Mode!"

"Alright, they're ready." Lieutenant Woods said, tapping into their comms. "I'm launching the Beetle Strikers now!"

"Roger that," Nate said, as the two new Zords emerged from hatches in the ground. Looking to Shawn, he asked, "You ready to go?"

"Let's do it!" Shawn hollered in response, pumping his fist.

Together, the two hopped into the air, boarding the new Zords. Nate's Zord was a golden, rhinoceros beetle-themed tank, while Shawn's Zord was a silver and aqua blue, stag beetle-themed armored attack vehicle, akin to a military Humvee.

"Beetle Striker I is online," Nate said, installing his Drive Blade into the center of his cockpit before flipping a few switches above his head.

"Beetle Striker II, ready to rock!" Shawn said excitedly, installing his Drive Blade before grabbing ahold of his cockpit's gear-stick. "Let's bust this Metaloid!"

"You rookies have little vehicles too, huh?" Cutterloid asked, as he willed his robot towards the new prey. "Doesn't matter! I'll trash 'em like I did the others!"

"I don't think so," Shawn countered. "Laser Turret, fire away!"

Pressing a few buttons, Shawn activated his Zord's Laser Turret, firing a burst of laser blasts towards Cutterloid's robot. Unlike the weapons of Graham and the twins', the lasers actually did some damage, staggering the robot and angering Cutterloid.

"Why...you insolent brat!" The Metaloid roared, clearly enraged. Swinging his robot's cutter arm towards the Beetle Striker II, he shouted, "Take this!"

"Woah, gotta run!" Shawn yelled, driving away just in time to dodge the attack. "You can take it from here, Nate!"

"Gladly," Nate said quietly, smirking under his helmet. Pressing a few buttons, he said, "Energy Cannon, full power!"

Slamming his fist on the fire button, Nate fired his Zord's main cannon, launching a gigantic blast of energy at Cutterloid's robot, piercing right through its armor and causing it to spark uncontrollably.

As his robot began to go critical, Cutterloid slammed his cutter arm into his controls, saying, "This is _not_ happening! I _cannot_ die again, I won't allow it!"

"Sorry. Looks like you don't get a choice," Nate said, as the robot exploded, sending Cutterloid falling to his death.

"Noooooo!" Cutterloid screamed as he plummeted the ground, dissolving into streams of data upon impact.

Seeing this, Shawn pumped his fist, saying, "Alright! Mission: Complete!"

* * *

As Lieutenant Woods breathed a sigh of relief, Lieutenant Rose turned to Captain Shields, saying, "What do we do now?"

"That's easy." Captain Shields replied. "We question them."

* * *

"-So," Captain Shields said, pausing for a moment to stare at Nate and Shawn as he interrogated them inside the Command Room. "You're telling me you gained Metahuman abilities ten years ago, on the day Psycho went rampant?"

"Yes sir." Shawn replied, nodding in confirmation. "Nate and I were visiting Daytona Beach with our families, when out of nowhere, the Vaglass showed up, and a Metaloid took us all hostage. He started executing us one by one, until only we were left."

"Then what happened?"

"Shawn and I were hit were energy blasts." Nate explained. "We were expected to die, but somehow, we lived…but we developed Metahuman powers as a result."

" _Just like us…"_ Graham, Colin, and Colleen whispered in unison, the three of them standing alongside their commanding officer.

"That explains that…now how did you find out the GPU was still active? Last time I checked, that was _not_ public knowledge."

"I'm aware, sir. I discovered it after learning how to hack when I was ten." Nate replied. "I…I wanted revenge on the Vaglass, so I took to the internet. I found out about Project: Messiah, and when I dug deeper, I found out you were still around, _and_ that you were training young Metahumans to become Power Rangers. We wanted in, but the GPU never knew that we existed."

"That isn't true. We've been searching for you two for close to three years, now." Captain Shields revealed. "Now, what you did may've been wrong, but without you, my Rangers would've died, today. I've decided to allow you to join the team-"

"Yes!" Shawn exclaimed, pumping his fist in excitement.

"I'm not finished." Captain Shields said sternly, pausing for a moment before continuing. "If you choose to accept, you must follow GPU rules and regulations at all times. You are to report for patrol everyone evening after school, unless circumstances prevent you from doing so. You will also serve under the command of Graham, who I have appointed as team leader. You will follow his every order without question. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" Shawn replied, giving a two-fingered salute.

"And what about you, Nate?"

Taking a deep breath, Nate said, "Yes, sir. I understand completely, sir."

"Good. You five may go…for now."

"Woohoo!" Colin hollered, and he, Graham, and Colleen rushed to join their new friends. "I can't believe you guys are our new rangers! This is gonna be so sick!"

"Totally. Right here, dude!" Shawn said, high-fiving the Blue Ranger with a huge grin on his face.

Meanwhile, Graham slowly made his way over to Nate, raising his hand up slightly in a form of a wave.

"So…I guess this means we're teammates." The Red Ranger began. Holding out his hand, he said, "I look forward to fighting alongside you."

"Likewise," Nate said in an emotionless tone, leaving the room with a stoic expression on his face.

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

"THERE ARE TWO MORE RANGERS?!" Psycho shouted in anger, unable to believe what Enter was telling him. "ARE YOU JOKING?!"

"I'm afraid not, Monsieur." Enter replied. "My Metaloid was unable to best them, but they proved to be quite powerful, and I-"

"ENOUGH WITH THE EXCUSES, ENTER!" Psycho boomed, his voice full of rage. "Destroy the Rangers, or I will destroy _you_! Understand?!"

"Yes, Monsieur." Enter said with a bow. "I will not fail you again."

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, Graham, Colin, and Colleen can be seen in a large, gray expanse, all three of them watching a recording of their mothers' deaths with solemn looks on their faces. Out of nowhere, raindrops begin to fall, filling the screen with color as the vocals start.*)**_

 _ **~Take a breath, take a long look around before you step,**_

 _ **Cuz the tide is coming, swallowing the ground.~**_

 _ **(*Graham whips his head around desperately as water begins to fill the room, threatening to drown the three teens. Beating on the walls, he tries to break free, to no avail*)**_

 _ **~And there's no way to tell if we will drown tonight,**_

 _ **Or we'll be found tonight.~**_

 _ **(*An image of Graham, Colin, and Colleen's dead bodies drifting along in the water can be seen, only to disappear a moment later, the whole thing being revealed as a nightmare as Graham sits up in bed, screaming.*)**_

 _ **~So come in close, if the current gets us, then it get us both,**_

 _ **We can't wait here anymore.~**_

 _ **(*As Graham walks down the sidewalk, he spots Colleen off in the distance. Gazing at her longingly, he rushes over to her, only for a wall of solid energy to separate them, causing him to frown. The Vaglass come out of nowhere, storming the area and firing at them both. The two look up, realizing they have no choice but to fight.*)**_

 _ **~So if the waves come, let 'em take us,**_

 _ **As they cover you and me, and they pull us underneath.~**_

 _ **(*Graham, Colin, and Colleen rush to fight the Buglars, instantly morphing as they punch and kick the footsoldiers into submission. Seeing Enter, Graham charges him, slashing wildly. However, he is thrown onto his back by the Avatar, who walks up to him, pointing a laser pistol at his head. Demorphing, Graham grimaces, accepting his defeat.*)**_

 _ **~I hope that fate will forgive us, for tempting the sea,**_

 _ **I hope that they won't forget us!~**_

 _ **(*Graham turns to Colin and Colleen as the three are dragged into Hyperspace by Enter. No doubt, the three are to be executed for opposing the Vaglass. Bowing his head, Graham prays a desperate prayer, as Colleen looks at him, a single tear running down her cheek.*)**_

 _ **~No, we can't go back,**_

 _ **To the way it used to be.~**_

 _ **(*Waking up on the grass, Graham stands up, realizing it was all another dream. Looking to his right, he sees Colin and Colleen, the latter of the two waving him over with a smile. Taking a quick look at a picture of his mother in his pocket, Graham puts it away before joining his friends, a smile on his face despite himself. Seeing this, Colin pats him on the back, and Colleen reaches for his hand. Graham nervously takes it, squeezing it lightly as the three friends walk towards the sunset, the song ending as the camera pans away.*)**_

 ***End Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, there you have it! Busters Gold and Silver have débuted, and now our core team is complete. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review with your thoughts, and stay tuned for the next episode. It won't be out as soon as I would like due to me being really, really busy at the moment, but I promise you it'll be up. Without further ado, here's a list of references in the chapter before we get on to the episode preview.

 **[1]-** Another HIMYM reference. I cannot help myself.

 **[2]-** This actually happened to me, once. No joke.

 **[3]-** I had to do that joke. I _had_ to.

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** A rivalry between Graham and Nate threatens to ruin their stealth mission when the Gold Ranger disobeys a direct order, resulting Colin, Colleen, and Shawn being captured. Can the two sort out their differences in order to save their friends? Find out, in **Episode 8: No "I" In Team!**


	8. Ep 8: No I In Team

**A/N:** Alright, it's update time! This is probably my favorite chapter so far, so I'm excited for you all to read it! Have fun, and please review!

 **(PS: I added Nate and Shawn to the popularity poll on my profile, so if you're a Buster Gold or Buster Silver fan, go vote for one of them. I also added them to the opening and ending themes, so don't skip them this time. That's all for now.)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

 _Somewhere, on an Island off the coast of Mexico…_

Muffled noises of protest could be heard as a small group of captured thugs were escorted to a large factory by a squadron of Buglars. The thugs' arms were tied behind their backs, and their heads had been covered by burlap sacks; it was clear they had been taken hostage.

Reaching the factory, the Buglars stopped in front of a security gate, as a sensor or some sort scanned them. As an electronic clicking sound emitted itself from a nearby loudspeaker, the gate opened up, providing the Buglars and their hostages with access.

Stepping through the gate, the Buglars entered the factory, where they were greeted by someone with a deep voice saying, "More test subjects, huh?"

Nodding in response, the leader of the Buglars waited as a tall, silver Metaloid themed around syringes stepped out of the shadows, revealing itself to be the owner of the voice.

"Put them with the others," The Metaloid said, eliciting muffled screams of fear from the hostages as they were dragged into another room by the Buglars.

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**_

 _ **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**_

 _ **(*Shots of all five Rangers flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, Colleen is riding a bike, Nate is writing something in a journal, and Shawn is playing a handheld videogame console. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**_

 _ **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**_

 _ **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**_

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 _ **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**_

 _ **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**_

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist as the others follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, with the other four quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the five spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 _ **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*A shot of the five Rangers piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot is shown. Gripping the controls, they each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**_

 _ **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show Graham and the others standing side by side, all five of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the five instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, they all rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 8: No "I" in Team**

It was very late at night. The Rangers were all riding inside of Colleen's Rabbit Zord as it flew across the ocean, heading towards its destination. Each Ranger sat in their own chair, with looks of anxiousness on their face as they prepared to take on their first mission as a full team.

Breaking the silence, Colleen said, "We're approaching the island. Get ready to drop, Colin."

"I'm on it, sis." Colin replied, standing up from his seat and reaching above him for a cable, which he proceeded to hook onto the harness he was wearing. As he stood in preparation for the drop, he allowed his mind to travel back to several hours earlier, when Captain Shields had assigned them this mission.

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _Rangers reporting for duty, sir!" Graham said with a salute, as he and the others stood in front of Captain Shield's desk in the Command Room._

" _At ease," Captain Shields said, prompting the five teens to relax a bit. "I've called you here to send you on a very important mission. I'm sending you to a small island off the coast of Mexico, its mostly controlled by various gangs."_

" _What're you sending us there for?" Colin asked, his curiosity now piqued._

" _We've detected some Vaglass activity near a large factory ran by the top gang on the island." Captain Shields explained. "We don't know what's in there, but Enter's obviously after it. This mission is strictly recon; get in, find out what's going on, and get out. Understood?"_

" _Yes, sir!" The five shouted in unison, saluting the Captain._

" _Very well. Prepare to leave immediately. You'll be flying there using Colleen's Zord."_

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"Alright, we've arrived at Dropzone A." Colleen informed her brother, interrupting his train of thought. "You ready to go?"

"Almost," Colin told her, grabbing the backpack that was next to his seat and securing it around his shoulders before saying, "Alright, I'm ready to drop."

"Opening hatch," Colleen replied, pressing a button in order to open her Zord's bottom hatch. Jumping through, Colin used the cable to rappel down to the shore, where he disconnected his harness before sneaking up the beach towards a sensor array.

As the Rabbit Zord flew away, he pulled the backpack off of his back and placed it on the sand, unzipping it and retrieving a strange black device from inside. The Blue Ranger proceeded to plant this device on the array, causing it to emit an electronic beep.

Lifting his Morphin' Brace to his mouth, he spoke into it, saying, "Colleen, this is Colin. The motion and heat sensors are patched. They're now on a continuous loop."

* * *

"Roger that. Proceed as planned, the others and I will head to Dropzone B and meet up with you later." Colleen replied, gripping her controls tightly and flying towards the center of the island. A few minutes later, she turned to the others and said, "We've now arrived at Dropzone B. Everyone get ready to drop."

With that, the four stood to their feet, each one reaching above their head to retrieve a cord, which they proceeded to attach to their harnesses. Looking to Graham, Nate adjusted his glasses, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Why aren't you wearing the new Stealth uniform?" The Gold Ranger asked his red counterpart, who was wearing his usual hoodie and jeans as opposed to the all-black getups he and the others had donned. "Aren't you afraid of being compromised?"

Shrugging, Graham replied with, "I'm a speedster; they won't be able to see me, regardless of what I'm wearing. Besides, I'm more comfortable in this."

"It totally works for you…" Colleen said absentmindedly. As soon as she realized what she said, she blushed bright pink, adding, "I mean, in that you can do great work in those clothes."

Hearing this, Nate rolled his eyes, while Graham rubbed the back of his head, a tinge of bright red dusting his cheeks.

Breaking the awkward silence in the room, Colleen turned to Lettuce on her console, saying, "Lettuce, I'm giving control of the Rabbit Zord to you. I'll need you to stay out of sight until we call for evac."

"Roger rabbit!" Lettuce replied, as the bottom hatch of the Zord opened once more and the four rappelled down into the jungle.

Pressing two fingers to the headset he was wearing, Graham said, "Colin, this is Graham. We've touched down at Dropzone B; we're moving further into the island. We'll link up in five minutes."

* * *

"Roger that," Colin replied over the comm-link, climbing a tree so he could get the lay of the land. "I'll be there."

* * *

Hearing this, Graham turned to the others, saying, "Alright, let's move up. Keep your eyes peeled, and remember-we need to be quick and covert. Stay hidden at all costs."

"Roger that," The other three replied, following the Red Ranger as he led them deeper into the jungle.

After a few minutes of aimless wandering, Nate turned to Graham and said, "Do you have any idea where we're even going?"

"I _did_ , but…I think we're lost. The map of the jungle Captain Shields showed us wasn't very extensive. If only we had a better view…"

"Already on it!" Shawn replied, scrambling up a nearby tree and fading into the treetops.

"Shawn, wait!" Graham called after him. "What're you-"

"He's going off on his own in order to scout ahead." Nate said, as if it were obvious. "He does this all the time."

Stopping in her tracks, Colleen said, "Wait a minute…I hear something…"

Coming to a halt behind her, Graham and Nate stood completely still, with the former pulling out his Spy-Saber in its binocular mode in order to get a closer look.

"Buglars, up ahead. A whole squad of 'em," Graham informed, looking off to the left before continuing. "We've also got incoming thugs on the other side. But they'll run into eachother before they find us."

Hearing gunfire accompanied by the sound of his best friend letting out a battle cry, Nate said, "Shawn!", before running off, leaving Graham and Colleen on their own.

"Nate, come back! We need to carefully plot out our next course of-" Graham began, being completely ignored by the Gold Ranger. "-action…he's in trouble, isn't he?"

"He will be if we don't catch up to him," Colleen replied, putting her hand on the Red Ranger's shoulder before saying, "Let's go!"

"Right," Graham said with a nod, using his superspeed to dash forward towards the sound of the disturbance, hoping to assist his gold and silver counterparts before they got seriously injured or even worse, killed.

* * *

"Over there!" Colleen said as she and Graham ran out into a clearing, where a huge brawl between Buglars and a group of thugs was going on. In the middle of the fray, Nate and Shawn were taking on both sides, along with Colin, who had joined back up with the two.

"So much for covert," Graham said, cracking his knuckles as he mentally prepared for the battle to come. "Let's do this!"

With that, the Red Ranger supersped into the crossfire, taking out the Buglars and knocking out the thugs without harming them as he went. Using her superagility, Colleen joined in as well, following Graham's lead.

Together, the two eventually worked their way over to their teammates. Looking to Colin, Shawn said, "Boy, are we glad to see you! Who knows what we would've done if it wasn't for you and your superstrength!"

"It _is_ pretty useful in a pinch…but we're not out of the woods, yet." Nate pointed out, as a swarm of Buglars began to surround the five.

Looking to the others, Shawn asked, "Wouldn't now be a really good time to morph?

"YES!" The other four replied in unison, and together, they all brandished their morphers.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Graham declared, as they all took the necessary steps to morph.

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

Instantly morphing into their Ranger suits, the five Metahumans charged back into battle with renewed vigor, seeking to take down the Buglars once and for all.

Using his superspeed, Graham weaved through the robotic footsoldiers, slashing wildly at them with his Spy-Saber. Stopping on the other side of the clearing, he snapped his fingers just as the Buglars he hit fell over, causing a small explosion to occur behind him.

With his superstrength, Colin tore through the Buglars, tossing and kicking and punching them all into scrap-metal. Ducking to avoid a swing from one of their weapons, he spun back around and took it out with a hard lariat, destroying it once and for all.

Vaulting into the air using her superagility, Colleen fired at the Buglars with her Spy-Blaster, gunning them down from above. Landing gracefully on the ground, she traded her Spy-Blaster for her Spy-Saber, using the weapon to block an attack from one of the footsoldiers before slashing it on the stomach, causing it to spark uncontrollably before dying.

Lifting the Buglars into the air with his telekinesis, Nate held them in place long enough for Shawn to fire at them with his Morphin' Blaster, taking them all out.

Sensing an incoming attack using his hyper-detection, the Silver Ranger swiftly turned around and held his assailant back, kicking the footsoldier in the stomach to stagger it before shooting it point blank in the chest, destroying it.

Looking around, the five teens realized they had won. They'd defeated the Buglars…for now.

Demorphing, Graham ushered the others over to him, saying, "Everyone, form up on me."

Following his order, the other four demorphed before joining the Red Ranger in the center of the clearing.

Looking at the unconscious thugs scattered all over the ground, Colleen said, "Captain Shields is right, something's going on. There's obviously a turf war going on between the Vaglass and the gang controlling the factory. They want whatever's in there."

"Then we need to find out _what_." Graham replied. "Gather up the thugs and tie them up. When one of them wakes up, we'll ask 'em what's going on here."

"Roger that," The other four said in unison as they walked away, following his order by gathering up the scattered thugs and tying them to the trunks of nearby trees.

A few minutes later, one of the thugs came to, mumbling something in Spanish as he looked around, seeming somewhat confused.

"Graham, over here!" Colin hollered, crouching down next to the thug and looking him over.

"He doesn't look too injured, he should be able to tell us what we need to know." Graham observed as he examined the thug closely, having crouched down on the other side of him. Looking the thug directly in the eyes, he continued, saying, "Do you speak English? I have a lot of questions, and I'm hoping you can give me some answers."

"Of course I speak English. Do you speak Spanish?" The thug asked, his voice carrying a hint of a Mexican accent. Graham simply shook his head, and the thug spoke again, saying, "I didn't think so, gringo. Tell me, what are a bunch of teenagers like you doing out here on our island?"

"I'm afraid that's classified information." Graham told him. "We're the ones asking the questions here, not you. If you haven't noticed, you're sort of tied up."

"You're not going _anywhere_ until you shed some light on this situation." Colleen added, crouching down next to her two teammates. "You might wanna start talking."

Shrugging his shoulders, the thug said, "What is it you want to know?"

"You and your fellow gang members seem to have a bit of a pest problem," Colin began, gesturing over to the twisted, broken remains of one of the Buglars they had fought minutes earlier. "We want to know why they're here."

"I was hoping you could tell me, amigo." The thug replied, letting out a bit of a chuckle. "They just showed up one day and started attacking us. We managed to hold them back at first, but there were too many of them. They took over the factory, and we've been trying to get it back ever since."

"How's that working out for ya?" Shawn questioned, standing behind the three others.

"Not so great. As you can _clearly_ see," The thug said, gesturing over to his still-unconscious allies. "You gringos knocking us all out certainly didn't help matters."

"We're just trying to contain the situation." Graham told him.

"The Vaglass are a highly dangerous criminal organization, bent on complete and utter domination." Colleen added. "Whatever's in that factory, they have it now, and they fully intend to use it in their campaign for world conquest. This is bigger than some stupid turf war."

"Do you know of any alternate routes into the facility?" Graham asked. "We need to sneak in without being detected, or we're never getting them out of that factory."

"There's a secret entrance. I'll tell you where it is."

Hearing this, Shawn said, "Really? Awesome! This is gonna be-"

"Not so fast, amigo." The thug said, cutting him off. "I'll only help if you let me go with you."

"And why exactly would we do _that_?" Nate chimed in, speaking for the first time in several minutes.

"You need to find out what it is they're after, don't you?" The thug replied. "So do I. Those buckets of bolts need to be taught a lesson."

As Graham stood up and turned around, Nate looked at him, folding his arms before saying, "You aren't _actually_ thinking of letting this guy come along, are you?"

"We don't exactly have any other options, y'know."

"Maybe not, but accepting his help is a _terrible_ idea." Nate told him. "He could be plotting to get rid of us so we never find out what's in the factory, or even worse, he could be working with the Vaglass! We're better off getting in on our own."

"Maybe so, but it isn't your call." Graham pointed out. Gesturing towards Colin, he said, "Untie him."

" _This is a huge mistake…_ " Nate muttered under his breath, as his blue counterpart untied the thug.

"Wise choice," The thug said, standing up and stretching his arms. "The name's Miguel."

"You could be named Wolfgang Paco for all we care," Nate snapped. "Just take us to the secret entrance."

"Take it easy, gringo." Miguel said. Walking into the jungle and gesturing for the others to follow him, he said, "Secret entrance is this way."

* * *

"It's through a tunnel?" Colleen asked as Miguel led her and the others into a dark tunnel, which was dimly lit by flickering lights hanging from the ceiling.

"It's supposed to be a _secret_ entrance, chica. Putting it anywhere else wouldn't be very bright."

"True," The Yellow Ranger replied, rubbing the back of her head in slight embarrassment. "How far is it, anyway?"

"Not very far," Miguel told her. Colleen swore she saw him flash an evil smirk for a split second.

After a few more minutes of walking, Nate started to get visibly impatient. Furrowing his eyebrows, he opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, deciding to give their guide the benefit of the doubt.

As they rounded the corner and continued through the tunnel, however, Nate's patience officially ran out. Speaking up, he voiced his frustration, saying, "Alright, are we getting close, or not? You're starting to seem more and more suspicious."

Hearing this, Miguel took off running, sprinting down the corridor they were in and leaving the five teens behind.

Eventually, he rounded another corner and continued to run, proving to Nate that his suspicions had been well-placed. Clenching his fist, Nate spoke, saying, "I'm going after him!"

"Nate, no! We need to think carefully here, he could be leading us into a-" Graham began, being ignored by the Gold Ranger as he ran ahead, not paying his red counterpart any mind. Now fed up with Nate's rebellious streak, Graham spoke again, saying, "Nate, get back here! That's an order!"

This, of course, received no response. Coming to a halt, Graham, Colin, Colleen, and Shawn stood still for a moment, listening for any sign of their friend and teammate.

Hearing something that sounded suspiciously like Nate shouting, Shawn tore down the corridor without a second thought, and was quickly followed by Colin and Colleen. Letting out a sigh, Graham supersped after them, rounding the corner to see what was going on.

When the four arrived, they found Nate and Miguel grappling in the center of a large room, with the former seeming to have the upper hand. However, this was soon proven not to be the case, as Miguel tossed the Gold Ranger aside as if he were weightless. Seeing this, Colin, Colleen, and Shawn dashed forward, intending to help their friend.

Despite the use of their powers, Miguel easily overpowered the three, flipping them all onto their backs and incapacitating them. Moments later, Buglars filled the room, surrounding the trio and cutting them off from their other two teammates.

"What's going on?!" Colin demanded. "Why are you betraying us?"

"Silly boy. He isn't _betraying_ you." A voice said from the shadows. "He works for me."

"Who are you?" Colin questioned. "And why is he working for you?"

"It's quite simple. My name is Needleloid." The voice said, its owner stepping into the light in order to reveal itself as a tall, silver Metaloid. "As for Miguel, 'works for me' doesn't fully cover it. 'Is my mindless slave' would be a better description."

With that, Miguel's face began to morph, changing into some sort of mechanical mask. Seeing this, Colleen gasped before saying, "He's a robot..."

"Not exactly. He's just been given some temporary enhancements." Needleloid explained. "Said enhancements also put him completely under my control. He's nothing more than my puppet, now!"

"That's despicable!" Shawn shouted, disgusted by this revelation. "You'll never get away with this!"

"I'm afraid I already have," Needleloid taunted, letting out an evil laugh. "Now come, Rangers. You have an appointment!"

"No!" Nate shouted at the top of his lungs, charging towards the Buglars in an attempt to save the others.

"My apologies. I seem to have forgotten about you, Buster Gold." Needleloid said, grabbing the teen by the arm. "No worries. I'll make some arrangements right away!"

"Not happening!" Graham declared, using his superspeed to dash over to Needleloid, snatching Nate out of his grip and depositing the Gold Ranger on the other side of the room. Coming to a halt, Graham caught his breath, now fairly exhausted from the night's events.

Seeing this, Needleloid said, "Very well. I suppose three of you will have to suffice…so long, Buster Red."

With that, Needleloid turned to leave, being followed by the Buglars as they escorted Colin, Colleen, and Shawn out of the room.

Turning to look at Nate one last time, Miguel said, "Adios, Buster Gold," before joining his master, prompting the teen to stand up and angrily slam his fist into the wall repeatedly.

"God-damm-it!" Nate yelled angrily in-between punches, eventually stopping his assault on the wall after hurting his fist. Sinking down to the floor, the Gold Ranger gripped both sides of his head in frustration.

Walking over to him, Graham said, "Nate, calm down. There's no reason to pan-"

"What're you talking about?! They captured Shawn and the others! That's plenty reason to panic!"

"Yeah, well it never would've happened if you had followed orders!" Graham snapped, having had about enough of Nate's attitude. "I told you to slow down, so why'd you go rushing in here without a plan?"

"I wanted to stop Miguel-y'know, the guy _you_ trusted to get us to the factory? God, you're so naïve. I knew that guy was hiding something the moment he started talking."

"I _had_ to trust him; it was the only safe way to get inside the factory!" Graham told him. "We had just gotten out of a huge battle with those patrols-the Vaglass were bound to know we were coming. We needed a stealthy way inside and Miguel promised just that."

"Yeah, well he _definitely_ delivered, didn't he?" Nate asked sarcastically. "Look around you, Graham! Does this mission look like it's going well to you?"

"I could've maintained control of the situation if you had hung back and waited for me to come up with a plan instead of chasing Miguel after he ran off!" Graham pointed out. "Now, we can either sit here playing the blame game, or we can call a truce and go save our friends. Which one do you choose?"

Hearing this, Nate slowly stood up and looked directly at Graham, a fiery look forming in his eyes.

* * *

On the other side of the complex, Colin, Colleen, and Shawn woke up inside three small cells of some kind, with each one of them experiencing a massive headache. Remembering that they had been captured, Colin reached out and grabbed hold of the jail bars in front of him, attempting to use his superstrength to rip them out.

However, to the Blue Ranger's surprise, this did absolutely nothing, and Needleloid could be heard laughing at him from the other side of the room.

"Buster Blue, if you think that's going to work, you're a fool." The Metaloid taunted, turning and walking up to Colin's cell. "These containment units are designed to completely nullify your Metahuman abilities. It doesn't matter what your power is, no matter what, it's useless once you get inside one of these."

Hearing this, Colleen grabbed her bars and said, "What're you going to do with us?!"

"Oh, Buster Yellow. You're awake, I see. Good." Needleloid began, moving over to the Yellow Ranger's cell. "It's very simple, actually. I'm gonna do the same thing to you three that I did to all the useless thugs on this island-meaning that you're all gonna be my mindless slaves!"

"You'll never get away with this!" Shawn said from his cell, causing Needleloid to laugh hysterically.

"I already have, Buster Silver! That's the beauty of this whole thing. Now, should we begin the procedure?" Needleloid said. "Don't answer, that was a rhetorical question. I hope you're ready…don't worry. This'll only hurt a lot!"

With that, Needleloid prepared to puncture Colleen's skin with one of his needles; however, before he could do so, he was interrupted by Enter, who appeared on a holographic screen similar to the one used in the GPU Command Room. As he came onscreen, Enter spoke.

"Needleloid, report!" The Avatar commanded, prompting the Metaloid to turn and face him.

"I'm right here, Enter. As you can see, I've captured three of the Rangers. I'm about to modify them with those cybernetic enhancements you equipped me with."

"The Rangers can wait. Our partner will be here shortly." Enter replied. "Make sure he gets what he came for."

"Roger that!" Needleloid said with a salute, grabbing a metal briefcase off of the table in front of him before turning back towards the Rangers as Enter disappeared off the holographic display. "It seems I have more important business to attend to. I'll be back to deal with you three, later."

Needleloid then walked out of the room, leaving the three alone in their cells as he went to meet this mysterious partner.

* * *

Meanwhile, Graham and Nate had snuck into the factory using the tunnel Miguel had lured them into, and were now enacting their plan to rescue the others. Taking cover behind some crates, Graham peeked his head out, using his Spy-Saber in its binocular mode to scan for enemy activity.

Ducking back behind the crates, Graham turned to Nate and whispered, " _Looks like two, maybe three squadrons of Buglars. They've got the whole factory floor locked down, big time."_

" _Well, what are we waiting for?"_ Nate asked, clenching his fist. " _Let's go."_

" _Be patient,"_ Graham told him. " _They know we're coming for the others; we have to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike."_

Moments later, Graham accidentally dropped his Spy-Saber, causing the Buglars to turn around and spot the two. Seeing this, Nate said, "Or we could just attack now?"

"That works…" Graham said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

With that, the two charged into battle, using their powers to quickly dispatch the Buglars. Graham used his superspeed to swiftly dismantle the robots, while Nate utilized his telekinesis by lifting various tools and materials off of the ground and launching them at the footsoldiers. Within minutes, the room was clear.

"Looks like that's it for this room." Nate said. "That was pretty easy."

"A little too easy, perhaps?" A voice asked, as an energy blast came hurtling out of nowhere, sending Graham flying through the air towards a vat of chemicals.

"WOAH!" The Red Ranger yelled, grabbing ahold of a ledge to stop himself from falling. However, he began losing his grip, causing him to panic.

Stepping into the room holding an energy blaster, Miguel aimed at Graham and said, "Goodbye, Red Ranger!"

He then pulled the trigger, firing another energy blast that hurtled towards Graham, threatening to knock him into the chemicals below.

However, before that could happen, Nate dashed over to it, shouting, "NO!"

Using his telekinesis to grab Graham's Spy-Saber off of the floor, Nate used the weapon to swing at the energy blast, successfully deflecting it just in the nick of time.

Turning to the ledge, Nate grabbed his red counterpart by the hand, lifting him up while saying, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, but…why did you save me?" Graham questioned. "I…I thought you didn't like me."

"I thought you didn't like me," Nate countered. "Friends?"

"Friends," Graham echoed, causing Miguel to scoff.

"Give me a break!" The mind-controlled thug said, aiming his blaster at the two. "You're both about to die!"

"Not today," Nate said quietly, using his telekinesis to grab a pipe off the ground and slam it into the back of Miguel's head, knocking him unconscious. Turning to Graham, he said, "Let's go."

* * *

"So…" Shawn began awkwardly inside his containment unit, as he and the twins awaited their inevitable mind-control. "You guys wanna play I-Spy?"

As soon as he said that, electric zapping noises could be heard outside the room, as Graham and Nate silently dispatched the Buglars guarding it, before moving inside.

Seeing this, Colleen said, "Guys! You came!"

"Of course we did." Graham replied, as Nate hopped on the computer terminal and began attempting to free them. Looking around, the Red Ranger asked, "Where'd Needleloid go?"

"He's outside. Enter came on the holographic screen over there and mentioned something about a partner." Shawn explained, stepping out of his containment unit when the bars vanished, thanks to Nate's hacking. "He told Needleloid to deliver something to him."

"So _that's_ what they wanted with the factory…" Graham said, stroking his chin. "They're working with someone…but who?"

"Only one way to find out," Nate pointed out, handing Colin, Colleen, and Shawn their morphers before saying, "Guys, I need to say something. I'm sorry for what I did earlier. If I hadn't been so reckless, you wouldn't have gotten captured…it was all my fault."

"That's not true," Colin said, patting the Gold Ranger on the back. "None of us could've anticipated that this was going to happen. Besides, if we didn't get captured, we wouldn't have heard about this mystery partner Enter was talking about."

"Good point," Graham said. "Now let's go find out who it is."

* * *

"Alright, zooming in, annnd...bingo." Colin said as he crouched down on the ground, using his Spy-Saber in its binocular mode to spy on Needleloid as he walked out onto the island's runway. "I found Needleloid."

"And the mystery partner?" Nate asked.

Using his hyper-detection to spot an incoming transport, Shawn said, "He's coming in, now. Eyes up."

Hearing this, Colin watched closely as the transport landed, expelling steam out of its engine as its door opened up, revealing an alien of some kind wearing orange armor. Stepping out of the ship, this mysterious figure walked up to Needleloid, who escorted him inside the hangar and out of the Rangers' view.

Turning to Colin, Graham asked, "Who is he? What'd he look like?"

"He's an alien, wearing orange armor and a cape. Looks really familiar…kind of like-"

"Damaras." Colleen said, cutting her twin off. "He's a high-ranking member of the Armada, y'know, those aliens that the Rangers from Harwood County fought. I thought he was destroyed with the rest of them, though…how's he still here?"

"More importantly, what's he doing working with the Vaglass?" Graham inquired.

"Only one way to find out…" Nate said, standing up and adjusting his glasses. Turning to the others, he said, "Are we in agreement, or should we take the stealthy approach?"

"It's a bit too late for stealth." Graham pointed out. "Besides, if we act as a team, we should be able to take them. Let's do this."

Hearing this, the other four nodded in agreement, including Nate, who had newfound faith in the Red Ranger's leadership.

* * *

"As you can see, Damaras, the formula is complete and almost ready for mass production." Needleloid told the Armada general, as they looked over vials of strange blue liquid that were inside the metal briefcase from earlier. "It just needs one more thing…one final ingredient in order to stabilize it."

"The Phantom Keys…" Damaras said. "Of course! But how will we find them?"

"Don't worry. I'm sure Enter has that all figured out. For now, you may go. Take the briefcase…once you pay me, of course."

"Right. Here's the Enertron you requested." Damaras said, pulling out a large container of the experimental power source.

" _Excellent…_ this should make defeating the Rangers a breeze." Needleloid said, taking the container out of Damaras' hands and giving him the briefcase in return. "You may depart, Damaras. 'Til next we meet."

"I'm afraid you're not going anywhere!" Graham shouted, as he and the others stormed into the hangar brandishing their weapons. Aiming his Spy-Blaster at Damaras, the Red Ranger continued, saying, "Puts your hands up and the briefcase down!"

"What an annoyance…I thought you said you captured them." Damaras complained.

"I _did_ …well, three of them, anyway." Needleloid replied somewhat sheepishly. "I should've anticipated that Busters Red and Gold would step in to save their little friends...no matter. They're still not leaving this island alive…Buglars, attack!"

With that, dozens of Buglars appeared, brandishing their weapons as they surrounded the Rangers.

Seeing this, Graham turned to the others and said, "You guys ready?"

"Ready!" The other four replied in unison.

"Alright then." The Red Ranger said. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Five-Way Morphing Sequence~**

"Savannah Hunter!" Graham began, stretching his left arm across his chest with his left hand balled into a fist, his right fist resting against his left forearm. "Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior!" Colin hollered, bumping his right fist against his right shoulder before thrusting it outward. "Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper!" Colleen called out, gripping her shoulder-straps with both hands before letting them go, stretching them like they were elastic. "Buster Yellow!"

"Rhinoceros Power!" Nate said calmly, extending his left pointer and pinky fingers and folding over his other two fingers with his left thumb before moving his left hand in front of his face. "Buster Gold!"

"Stag Power!" Shawn exclaimed with excitement, spinning 360 degrees before giving a two-fingered salute. "Buster Silver!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!" The five shouted in unison, as fireworks went off behind them, forming five smoke clouds in their respective colors. A sixth firework went up after that, forming a larger white cloud that blotted out the other ones.

"Objective: Prevent Damaras from leaving with whatever's in that briefcase at all costs!" Graham began, taking a fighting stance. "Ready…?"

"GO!" All five Rangers said in unison, before bravely charging into battle.

"Take this! And that! And some of this!" Colin hollered in-between punches, as he used his superstrength to dismantle the Buglars. Whatever ones he didn't destroy, Colleen quickly gunned down using her Spy-Blaster. Within minutes, they had dealt with about a quarter of the footsoldiers.

Unbeknownst to Colin, however, one of the robots had survived, and was now sneaking up on him. Anticipating this thanks to his hyper-detection, Shawn shouted, "Colin, look out!"

Watching as the Blue Ranger narrowly dodged an incoming swing, Shawn brandished his Drive Blade before running up to the Buglar and slashing it across the back. This weakened it enough for his blue counterpart to take it out with one quick punch.

"Thanks, Shawn. I owe you one."

"Don't mention it, Col." Shawn said, giving the Blue Ranger a thumbs up.

"Please don't call me that." Colin asked politely. "When it comes to nicknames, I prefer CV."

"Roger that!"

Firing away at the remaining Buglars with her Spy-Blaster, Colleen shouted at the two, saying, "Guys, focus! We're not out of the woods just yet!"

"Right on, sis!" Colin said, as he and Shawn braced themselves for the fight to come.

The three continued to fight valiantly, but eventually, they began to be overrun. Seeing this, Colleen said, "We should finish this!"

"Definitely," Colin echoed, using his Transpod to materialize his Spy-Blaster as Shawn swapped out his Drive Blade for his Morphin' Blaster. "Let's do this!"

With that, the three performed the necessary steps to charge their finishers. As the horde of Buglars neared their position, their aimed their weapons at them before unleashing their final attacks.

"Spy-Blaster: Snapshot…STRIKE!" Colin and Colleen shouted in unison, firing two golden beams of energy that cut through the Buglars like a hot knife through butter.

"Morphin' Blaster: Finale…FINISH!" Shawn hollered, unleashing a large energy blast that decimated their remaining attackers.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Graham was in the heat of battle, using his Spy-Saber to slash and stab any Buglars that attempted to attack him. Disposing of the rest of the footsoldiers, he focused his attention on Needleloid and Damaras.

"You're not leaving without a fight!" Graham declared, just as Nate rushed to take on Needleloid.

"It's you and me, tin can! This is for capturing our friends!" Nate hollered as he ran up to the Metaloid, swinging at him wildly with his Drive Blade.

Seeing this, Graham turned his head to face Damaras, who set his briefcase aside before brandishing a sword of his own.

"So, you're the leader, huh, boy?" Damaras questioned, gripping his sword tightly. "Just like Megaforce Red. But tell me…do you have the strength to best me?"

Tightening his grip of his Spy-Saber, Graham said, "If Troy Burrows did it, so can I! Bring it on!"

"Very well." Damaras replied, tracing the length of his blade with his fingers before rushing towards Graham. "Just don't expect me to go easy on you, human!"

"Didn't you get the memo? I'm not just a human." Graham told him, using his superspeed to dodge some of Damaras' swings before countering with some of his own. Stopping on the other side of the Armada general, the Red Ranger continued, saying, "I'm a rare breed."

"A speedster, huh? I was not aware there were any Earthlings that possessed that kind of power." Damaras observed. "No matter…that'll just making disposing of you that much more enjoyable. But I'm afraid it must wait. I have other business to attend to."

With that, Damaras reached for his cape and threw it at Graham, temporarily stunning him long enough for the Armada general to grab his briefcase and run to his transport. Graham was about to run after him, when he heard Nate call for help.

"A little help, here?" Nate asked as he struggled to hold back Needleloid, who was very close to stabbing the Gold Ranger with his needles.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" Graham said as he ran towards the two, using his Transpod to summon his Spy-Blaster and fire at Needleloid, staggering him. As Nate ran to join him, Graham looked at his teammate and said, "Wanna finish this together?"

"You know it!" Nate hollered, pressing a button of his Drive Blade. "Drive Blade: Swerving…SLASH!"

Swapping out his Spy-Blaster for his Spy-Saber, Graham pressed a button on the weapon before saying, "Spy-Saber: Stakeout…SLASH!"

Swinging their weapons downward, they sent two waves of energy hurtling towards Needleloid. On impact, they tore right through the Metaloid's armor, causing him to fall to his knees as he began sparking uncontrollably.

"This isn't how your appointment was supposed to end!" Needleloid shouted, just before he exploded.

"Alright, we did it!" Nate said, high-fiving the Red Ranger. "Nice work."

"You too. We're not out of the woods yet, though." Graham told him, gesturing to the countdown timer on the dial of his Morphin' Brace. "Incoming transfer!"

* * *

"Rangers, this is Captain Shields!" The leader of the GPU said, tapping into their comms for the first time that night. "I'm sending the Zords!"

* * *

"Roger that!" Graham said as he and the others rushed out of the hangar. Off in the distance, Enter could be seen warping in in order to use his energy tendrils to revive Needleloid. As a giant robot warped in and the revived Metaloid boarded it, Graham turned to his teammates, saying, "Let's go!"

"Right!" The other four replied, as all five Zords appeared on the beach. Jumping up, they boarded them, as Lieutenant Woods hailed them from HQ.

* * *

"Rangers, I've been working on a new configuration for your Zords." The Lieutenant told them, typing away on his keyboard as he spoke. "You can now combine the Beetle Strikers with the Spy-Buster Megazord to form the Artillery Rush Megazord. I'm sending the data to your morphers."

* * *

"Understood," Graham said, looking down at his morpher to see a progress bar. Waiting until it filled up completely, he turned to look at the others on his Zord's video-screen, saying, "Let's try it out."

Reaching up and flipping a bunch of switches above his head, Graham shouted, "Artillery Rush Megazord Formation: Activate!"

 **~Megazord Formation Sequence~**

Piloting their Zords closer to eachother and pressing a couple of buttons, Graham and the twins perform the steps necessary to form the Spy-Buster Megazord. With that finished, Nate and Shawn drive their Beetle Strikers closer to the Megazord, performing steps of their own in order to combine with it.

Splitting apart, parts of Nate's tank Zord attach themselves to the Megazord, with the treads forming makeshift-skates underneath the feet and the cannon fitting itself on its back. Meanwhile, Shawn's armored jeep Zord splits right down the middle, with each section attaching themselves to one of the arms in order to form wrist-mounted turrets.

Finally, leftover parts from both Beetle Strikers attach themselves to the head and shoulders, flipping down the helmet's visor and forming shoulder-mounted missile launchers. The new Megazord is now complete.

 **~End Megazord Formation Sequence~**

As Nate and Shawn transferred to the larger, centralized cockpit, the five gripped their controls, speaking in unison.

"Artillery Rush Megazord: Online!" They shouted, as Needleloid watched from the cockpit of his robot.

"So you have a new Megazord! Big deal!" Needleloid said arrogantly, piloting his robot towards the Megazord. "You're still going down!"

"Not gonna happen!" Nate countered. Taking ahold of his controls, the Gold Ranger said, "Missile launchers, fire!"

Pulling the trigger, he sent a volley of missiles flying towards Needleloid's robot, staggering it and effectively angering its pilot.

"You brats are gonna pay for your insolence! This is what you get when you don't listen to your doctor!" Needleloid screeched, beating the Megazord back before jabbing at it with his robot's needle-arm.

"WOAH!" The five teens yelled, as the Megazord staggered backwards.

"Our armor can't take another hit like that!" Colin said, as alarms began blaring inside the cockpit. "We've gotta end this, now!"

"You're right. It's time to finish this!" Graham declared, as Needleloid's robot came in for another run. "Let's give him everything we've got!"

Using the Megazord's wrist-turrets to keep Needleloid's robot back, the five teens gripped their controls and pressed a few buttons, charging the main cannon with golden beams of light.

"Artillery Rush Megazord: Victory Blast, Charging!" The five said in unison, as the glowing began to intensify. When the energy inside the main cannon began flashing repeatedly, they spoke again, saying, "Victory Blast, Away!"

Firing an enormous energy blast at Needleloid's robot, the Rangers watched as the projectile tore through its armor, causing it to spark uncontrollably. Frantically pressing buttons and flipping switches in an attempt to fix his robot, Needleloid said, "This isn't how it's supposed to end! I am Vaglass! I AM SUPERIOR!"

"Not anymore," Nate said quietly, as Needleloid's robot exploded, killing the Metaloid once and for all. "Mission: Complete."

"Hey, that's my line!" Graham joked, eliciting a laugh from the others.

* * *

Watching them celebrate from the Command Room, Captain Shields tapped into their comms, saying, "Good work, Rangers, you've liberated the island. The thugs should return to normal now that Needleloid's been decommissioned, and we made a pretty big discovery as to what the Vaglass are planning. You're free to return home. Have a safe flight."

"Will do, Captain!" Graham replied, saluting his commanding officer before cutting off the transmission.

"They're working with the remnants of the Armada, huh?" Lieutenant Rose asked. "Interesting…"

"Quite interesting, indeed." Lieutenant Woods replied. "How do you think the Rangers'll handle it, Captain?"

"They'll handle it just fine." Captain Shields told him, his voice full of confidence. "Whatever they're planning…when it comes, Graham and the others will be ready. I know they will."

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

"Enter…Enter, I've received word that our island factory was compromised last night." Psycho murmured from his uplink inside the abandoned warehouse Enter used as home base, just as the Avatar warped back inside. "Tell me…did our partners receive their package?"

"Yes, my liege." Enter said with a bow, putting the disembodied A.I at ease. "And when the time comes…we'll finally be rid of the Power Rangers. _All_ of them."

"Good riddance." Psycho said, as he and his creation joined together in evil laughter.

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, Graham, Colin, and Colleen can be seen in a large, gray expanse, all three of them watching a recording of their mothers' deaths with solemn looks on their faces. Out of nowhere, raindrops begin to fall, filling the screen with color as the vocals start.*)**_

 _ **~Take a breath, take a long look around before you step,**_

 _ **Cuz the tide is coming, swallowing the ground.~**_

 _ **(*Graham whips his head around desperately as water begins to fill the room, threatening to drown the three teens. Beating on the walls, he tries to break free, to no avail*)**_

 _ **~And there's no way to tell if we will drown tonight,**_

 _ **Or we'll be found tonight.~**_

 _ **(*An image of Graham, Colin, and Colleen's dead bodies drifting along in the water can be seen, only to disappear a moment later, the whole thing being revealed as a nightmare as Graham sits up in bed, screaming.*)**_

 _ **~So come in close, if the current gets us, then it get us both,**_

 _ **We can't wait here anymore.~**_

 _ **(*As Graham walks down the sidewalk, he spots Colleen off in the distance. Gazing at her longingly, he rushes over to her, only for a wall of solid energy to separate them, causing him to frown. The Vaglass come out of nowhere, storming the area and firing at them both. The two look up, realizing they have no choice but to fight.*)**_

 _ **~So if the waves come, let 'em take us,**_

 _ **As they cover you and me, and they pull us underneath.~**_

 _ **(*Graham and the others rush to fight the Buglars, instantly morphing as they punch and kick the footsoldiers into submission. Seeing Enter, Graham charges him, slashing wildly. However, he is thrown onto his back by the Avatar, who walks up to him, pointing a laser pistol at his head. Demorphing, Graham grimaces, accepting his defeat.*)**_

 _ **~I hope that fate will forgive us, for tempting the sea,**_

 _ **I hope that they won't forget us!~**_

 _ **(*Graham turns to his teammates as they are all are dragged into Hyperspace by Enter. No doubt, the five are to be executed for opposing the Vaglass. Bowing his head, Graham prays a desperate prayer, as Colleen looks at him, a single tear running down her cheek.*)**_

 _ **~No, we can't go back,**_

 _ **To the way it used to be.~**_

 _ **(*Waking up on the grass, Graham stands up, realizing it was all another dream. Looking to his right, he sees his friends, including Colleen, who waves him over with a warm smile on her face. Taking a quick look at a picture of his mother in his pocket, Graham puts it away before joining his friends, a smile on his face despite himself. Seeing this, Colin, Nate, and Shawn all pat him on the back, and Colleen reaches for his hand. Graham nervously takes it, squeezing it lightly as the five friends walk towards the sunset, the song ending as the camera pans away.*)**_

 ***End Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **A/N:** Man, that was fast! I expected this one to take a lot longer, considering I've been spending most of my time job-hunting this past week. However, I somehow managed to finish it in time to maintain my unofficial weekly update schedule, as it were. Yeah, I know. Crazy, right? I usually _never_ get these done in time to update weekly, but the past few episodes have pretty much been back to back to back. I can't promise that'll continue, but I can sure try my hardest. We'll see, though.

Anyway, for now, please review with your thoughts, predictions, or the like. I injected this chapter with a ton of foreshadowing for the eventual team-up episode with Megaforce, so I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts on that. Just what are the Armada up to, and how is Damaras still alive? Stay tuned to find out! Here's the episode preview as per usual!

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** _In an attempt to strengthen the Rangers' bond as a team, Captain Shields enforces a mandatory sleepover inside GPU Headquarters. Everything goes great, until a malevolent AI referring to itself as "F.E.A.R" infects the mainframe, trapping the Rangers in a digital nightmare! Can the five work together to conquer their greatest fears? Find out, in_ **Episode 9: F.E.A.R Itself!**


	9. Ep 9: FEAR Itself

**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm back with a new episode. Sorry this took so long-I have to admit, I'm kind of in a dark place, right now. I haven't felt like writing that much, lately, and whenever I do, it seems like I'm constantly running onto a wall or creative pothole and getting stuck. The point is, I'm feeling a little creatively stifled. I'll get more into it in the second author's note, but until then, here's the new chapter. Please read and review. Or don't, it's not like it really matters.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

It was late at night. An eerie silence filled the darkened corridors of the GPU's underground HQ, only being broken once every few seconds by light snores and faint whimpers.

Inside the Common Area, Graham shot up from his spot on one of the couches, scanning his surroundings as if he'd been woken up by the sounds of an intruder. Seeing that the only other people in the room were his sleeping teammates, the boy let out a small yawn and laid his head back down on his pillow, deciding to go back to sleep.

He had almost nodded off when he heard a strange electronic clicking noise. Looking up, he saw that the TV, which had been turned off once everyone had gone to bed, was now on again.

Confused, the Red Ranger slowly got up and crept over to the television, reaching out for the power button so he could turn it off. Before he could, however, a strange voice spoke, saying, " _Not so fast."_

Darting his eyes around the room, Graham saw that he was still the only one awake, and no one new had entered the room. Turning back to the TV, he saw a vague hint of a face forming in the static, as the voice spoke again, saying, " _Confused? The thing you should be feeling isn't confusion, Buster Red. It's fear."_

The TV then emitted a strange pulse of energy, which brought Graham crashing to the floor, falling unconscious within seconds. A strange buzzing noise filled the room, as electricity poured out of the TV, forming a red construct made up of pure energy.

" _Fear not, Rangers."_ The being said, its voice warped and distorted. " _The only thing you have to fear…is F.E.A.R itself."_

With that, the strange being held out its arms, materializing tendrils of energy that seeped into the Rangers' heads while it let out a twisted, evil laugh.

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**_

 _ **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**_

 _ **(*Shots of all five Rangers flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, Colleen is riding a bike, Nate is writing something in a journal, and Shawn is playing a handheld videogame console. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**_

 _ **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**_

 _ **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**_

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 _ **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**_

 _ **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**_

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist as the others follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, with the other four quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the five spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 _ **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*A shot of the five Rangers piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot is shown. Gripping the controls, they each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**_

 _ **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show Graham and the others standing side by side, all five of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the five instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, they all rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 9: F.E.A.R Itself**

Coming to, Graham found himself in a blank white expanse, which was slowly filling with color as the moments went by. Soon, he recognized his surroundings as the GPU's underground headquarters. Rubbing the back of his head with a bit of a grimace on his face, the boy said, "Where...am I? How did…how did I get here?"

Placing a hand on the side of his head, Graham thought back, trying to remember the previous day's events. All of a sudden, a memory unearthed itself in his brain.

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

 _It was Saturday afternoon. Graham was walking down the street, wearing his casual attire and carrying a red duffle bag over his shoulder. Coming to an alley, he ducked inside, making sure no one was watching before opening the door of a seemingly abandoned phone booth._

 _Stepping inside, he warped away to GPU HQ, where an electronic voice confirmed his arrival over the intercom._

" _Recognized: Graham, B-06." The electronic voice said, as Graham stepped out of the teleporter and made his way into the Common Area._

" _Well, here I am…" Graham mumbled to himself, as he heard the teleporter fire itself up again. Another person quickly joined him._

" _Recognized: Colin, B-04." The electronic voice announced, as the Blue Ranger stepped out into the Common Area, carrying a blue duffle bag._

"' _Sup, Graham?" Colin greeted. "You ready for the lock-in?"_

" _Ready as I'll ever be. Where's Colleen?" Graham asked, seeming a little too eager. "Shouldn't she be with you?_

" _She's still at home getting ready." Colin explained, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Why so anxious?"_

" _N-No reason…" Graham replied rather sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck before turning away. Little did Colin know, his friend was now blushing redder than his Ranger helmet._

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"Right. That explains why I'm at HQ." Graham said. Looking around, he continued, saying, "That doesn't explain the creepy vibe I'm getting right now…"

Stepping forward, the Red Ranger soon found himself wandering the halls of the complex, looking for any sign of a familiar face. As he made his way through the corridors, he found no one, and he also swore that the space between adjacent rooms began to shrink.

"Is it just me, or are the walls closing in?"Graham asked himself, squeezing his way into a nearby storage room. The moment he stepped inside, the door shut behind him, and when he tried to open it again, it refused to budge. "Dangit, I'm trapped."

Hearing a strange chirping noise, the boy turned around, and he couldn't believe what he saw. Standing on the other side of the room was a giant cricket the size of a man.

"Between a rock and a hard place, at that _."_ Graham added, a feeling of dread washing over him as the giant cricket-man slowly approached it, its chirps getting louder and more rapid. "Please tell me I'm dreaming…"

Letting out a loud chirp, the cricket hopped forward, launching an attack as the Red Ranger yelped in fear.

* * *

"Ugh, my head…" Colin groaned as he came to, rubbing his temples with his hand in an attempt to alleviate his splitting headache. Looking up, he noticed he was in the Common Area, leading to a bit of confusion. _"_ Why am I at HQ…?"

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _Recognized: Colin, B-04." An electronic voice announced as Colin stepped out into the GPU's underground headquarters, carrying a blue duffle bag with him._

"' _Sup, Graham?" He greeted, matching his pace with the Red Ranger's. "You ready for the lock-in?"_

" _Ready as I'll ever be. Where's Colleen?" Graham asked, seeming all too eager. "Shouldn't she be with you?"_

" _She's still at home getting ready." Colin explained, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Why so anxious?"_

" _N-No reason…" Graham replied rather sheepishly, turning away before rubbing the back of his neck._

 _Smirking, Colin walked over to one of the Common Area's couches, tossing his duffle roughly onto one of the cushions before plopping down next to the luggage._

" _Guess it's just us for now," Graham said, taking a seat on the couch directly adjacent to Colin's. "Why do you think Captain Shields is enforcing this lock-in, anyway?"_

" _No idea," Colin replied with a shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine."_

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"Right. Captain Shields called us here for a lock-in." Colin remembered, adjusting his glasses with his thumb. "But where are the others?"

Hearing a strange rumbling sound, Colin picked his head up, scanning his surroundings for the source of the noise. Feeling the floor shake violently under his feet, Colin spoke again, saying, "Okay, better question: why's the floor shaking like that?"

As the metal plating beneath him gave way, Colin gasped. Falling through the newly formed hole in the floor, Colin soon found himself buried in the dirt, as the Earth's plates began to shift around him.

"Well, this is horrifying…" Colin mumbled, as the plates continued to shift, threatening to grind him into powder. As he sunk deeper, fear set in, and the Blue Ranger began to wonder if there was any chance of survival.

* * *

Somewhere else in the complex, Colleen's eyes shot open, darting around the room in frantic confusion.

"What…where…where am I? _"_ The girl asked, as she stood in the center of the Command Room. "Why am I at HQ? And why is no one else here?"

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _Alright, I'm finally finished packing!" Colin hollered as he stepped out of his bedroom and into the hallway, slinging a blue duffle bag over his shoulder. Looking around, he said, "Colleen, where are you? You ready to go?"_

" _I'm in the bathroom!" Colleen called from the other end of the hall, her voice slightly drowned out by the sound of a blow-dryer. "And no, I'm not ready, yet! Be patient!"_

" _Colleen, it's almost time! They're expecting us, we need to head out! What are you even doing in there?"_

" _I'm doing my hair!" Colleen said in slight annoyance. "Just leave without me, I'll be there soon."_

" _Okay then. Smell ya later, sis." Colin joked, a smirk on his face as he left the apartment and headed out for HQ._

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"Okay, that answers question one. Still a little confused as to why no one's here…" Colleen said to herself.

Walking towards the door, she pressed her hand to a panel on the hall, causing it to emit an electronic click as it opened up. Stepping out of the Command Room and into the outer corridor, she began walking around, searching for any sign of the others.

"They should be here, somewhere…" Colleen said as she continued walking.

Out of nowhere, a panel she stepped on began to give way, causing her to instinctively back-flip away using her superagility. Hearing a weird hissing noise, she peered into the hole in the floor. What she saw horrified her.

Snakes. The hole in the floor was filled with snakes. And now they were crawling up towards her.

Letting out a shriek, Colleen acted quickly, using her superagility to vault up into the rafters before the venomous reptiles could get her. Looking down, she saw she had made a wise choice, as the floor below her now appeared to be completely infested with them.

"Well, at least I'm s-safe up here…" Colleen said, shuddering a little as she attempted to calm herself down. She had been truly frightened by what had just occurred.

Little did she know, the horror had only just begun. Hiding in the shadows, there was an even bigger threat, waiting strike.

"What's that noise…?" She asked herself, scanning the area for the source of the sound. "Is that another snake…? But they can't get up here…right?"

As soon as she said this, a giant snake burst out of a vent above her head, barring its fangs and letting out a loud hiss as soon as it saw her.

"This can't be happening!" She shrieked, turning and scrambling away like her life depended on it.

* * *

"Shawn…Shawn…Shawn!"

"Five more minutes, Sister Catherine…please…" Shawn murmured in his sleep, swatting at Nate's hand as the Gold Ranger attempted to wake him up from his slumber.

"Shawn, it's me, Nate. You have to wake up." Nate said, rolling his eyes as his silver counterpart continued to snore. Seeing he was out of options, Nate drew back his hand before reluctantly bringing it down on Shawn's cheek, creating a loud slapping sound that echoed throughout the metal hallways and corridors of the complex.

Surprisingly, this did nothing to stir the Silver Ranger from his slumber, as he continued to snore, not paying his gold counterpart any mind.

Running out of ideas, Nate grabbed the boy by both shoulders and shook him like a ragdoll, screaming, "WAKE UP!" at the top of his lungs.

Waking up with a start, Shawn screamed, "I'LL KILL YOU, LEONARD NIMOY!", punching Nate in the face and sitting up from his spot on the floor before calming down, as he began to register where he was and who he was with. **[1]**

"Ow…" Nate groaned, his face in his hands.

"Did I hit you? Dude, I'm so sorry!" Shawn replied, scrambling over to his best friend.

"Don't be." Nate told him, adjusting his glasses before continuing. "Before you woke up, I tried slapping you in the face as hard as I could. You're a really heavy sleeper, man."

"That I am." Shawn agreed, letting out a bit of a chuckle as he took in the rest of his surroundings. "So…where are we?"

"GPU Headquarters. I can tell because it matches the blueprints I downloaded."

"You mean the ones you _stole_." Shawn teased.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter." Nate said, a slight hint of annoyance in his tone as he stood up and dusted off his pants. "It's like I said, it matches the blueprints. That and we've been here tons of times since we became Rangers. We've never actually been in this part of the complex before, though."

"Interesting…any reason we're here? I don't remember the Captain giving us a mission or any sort of patrol assignment, today."

"Neither do I." Nate said, scratching his head in slight confusion. "It doesn't make any sense… _unless…_ "

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _Recognized: Nate, B-07."_

" _Recognized: Shawn, B-08."_

" _What's up everybody?" Shawn asked excitedly, as he and Nate stepped out of the teleporter and into the Common Area of GPU HQ. "Shawn and Nate are in the HOUSE!"_

" _Awesome, you guys made it!" Colin said, getting up off the couch he was sitting on so he could go greet the new arrivals. "You guys ready for the best night ever?"_

" _I'm sure it'll be fun," Nate replied, wheeling a small suitcase behind him. Shifting his eyes to Graham, he said, "Looks like its just us guys for now, huh? Should we break out the videogames, then?"_

" _Now you're talking!" Graham hollered, getting up from the couch and hopping over the other one to join his friends._

 _Hearing this, Nate reached into his backpack, pulling out a copy of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U before saying, "Alright then, let's start a Smash tournament. The Wii U is in Shawn's-"_

" _I CALL ROSALINA!" Colin said, snatching the game out of Nate's hand and diving back onto the couch. Laughing, the others rushed to join him, setting up the game console on the Common Area's TV and handing out controllers as they prepared to play._

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"I remember, now!" Nate shouted in realization, snapping out of his sudden trance. "We came here for a lock-in. Captain Shields said it was a mandatory team-building exercise."

"Makes sense," Shawn replied with a nod. "Doesn't explain why we're in the…the…what room are we in, exactly?"

"Basement, I believe."

"Wait, HQ has a basement? It pretty much already _is_ a basement; half of the rooms are for storage and it gets really cold, sometimes."

"Yeah, no kidding." Nate agreed, letting out a small chuckle. "But yeah, HQ has a basement, and we're in it. Graham and Colin don't seem to be down here, though, and we have no way of knowing if Colleen's even here, yet. I wonder where they could be…"

Just then, their conversation was interrupted by a strange, blood-curdling howl in the distance.

Looking around, Shawn said, "What was that?"

Adjusting his glasses, Nate said, "I don't know, but I don't think we're alone down here. We need to get upstairs and find the others."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Shawn replied, as he and Nate rushed to the other side of the basement, looking for a way out. Turning to his friend as they ran, he said, "So, how exactly do we get back up? Is there like a flight of stairs, or an elevator, or what?"

"The blueprints said something about a freight elevator, but…I can't remember its exact location." Nate admitted, rubbing the back of his head as they slowed to a halt. "Tell you what, start running in a random direction; it'll come to me as we go."

As the blood-curdling howl echoed through the basement once more, Nate grabbed Shawn by the arm and said, "This way! Now!"

* * *

"This c-can't be happening to m-me…" Graham stammered to himself, as the giant humanoid cricket closed in on him. "Stuck in-between my two worst fears…tight spaces, and a giant cricket…what's going on?"

"It's quite simple, Buster Red." The same disembodied voice from earlier said, as a digital construct made of red energy formed itself in-between Graham and the giant cricket. "You'd think someone as smart as you would've figured it out by now."

"Who…or _what_ are you?" Graham questioned, clenching both of his fists.

"Oh, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself," The construct said, feigning politeness. "I am F.E.A.R, an artificial intelligence designed for one purpose and one purpose only-I am to study humans, learn their deepest, darkest fears…and use those fears to destroy them. You are in a simulation-a digital realm created by myself. It was created to house _your_ fears, Red Ranger. Now you face two options-be crushed to death and spend your last fleeting moments of life in extremely tight spaces…or fight a gigantic version of the chirping insect that you're so terrified of. Either way, I predict you're going to die. At the very least, your psyche will be damaged beyond repair."

"I think you're forgetting something," Graham said with a smirk. "I'm a Power Ranger, remember? What's stopping me from morphing and kicking this giant cricket's thorax to kingdom come?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked, plaything. You seem to forget- _I_ created this world, therefore it is _my_ domain. Any asset or weapon I do not wish for you to have simply _doesn't_ exist, here. Your Morphin' Brace, your Buddy-Roid Cheetah Nick…not even that silly little concept you call 'God' can save you, now."

"Wrong. He's always with me-whether I'm in the safest place on Earth, or in the midst of my enemies! He'll never abandon me!"

"I admire the sentiment, but God is an outdated relic of a time long past. He does not exist-and neither will you, soon enough. Enjoy your untimely demise, Buster Red. For your sake, I hope it'll be over quickly."

With that, F.E.A.R warped away, leaving Graham alone with the cricket once more. Bowing his head, Graham closed his eyes, saying a quiet prayer and hoping that it would be enough to turn the tide.

" _Dear Lord Jesus, please give me the strength to make it through this nightmare…and wherever they are, please put a hedge of protection around my friends…don't let this F.E.A.R thing harm them. I beg of you…in your name I pray…amen."_

Looking up, the Red Ranger clenched his fists, a renewed sense of courage burning within him. Pointing to his foe, he said, "This is for every time one of you has woken me up the night before a big test…or the time a dozen of you invaded my room and had me so scared I curled up into a little ball! I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU, ANYMORE!"

Hearing this, the cricket let out a loud chirp before swinging wildly at Graham, almost as if it were accepting his challenge. With that, the boy charged forward, mustering all of his bravery and strength in order to use it in the coming fight.

* * *

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Colin screamed at the top of his lungs, as he sunk deeper and deeper into the Earth.

Eventually, he fell into an underground cavern of sorts, which was dimly illuminated by small holes in the ceiling that somehow let sunlight from the surface through. Looking around, he saw the floor was made up of neat, chiseled stones, and ornate pillars held up the makeshift ceiling so it didn't collapse in on itself. Colin wasn't sure where he was, but he knew one thing for sure-this was not a natural formation. Someone had built this cave…but why?

"Sure wish I knew what was going on," Colin said to himself, as he stood up and dusted off his shorts. Adjusting his glasses, he continued, saying, "I'm not an expert on earthquakes or anything, but I'm pretty sure when they swallow you up, you die. Not this 'getting thrown into a weird underground temple' business."

Out of nowhere, F.E.A.R. warped into the cave and said, "You are correct. The earthquake would've killed you…if you were in the real world, that is."

"Woah! Who are you? More importantly, how in the hell did you get down here?" Colin asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"Confused, are we? Allow me to shed some light on the situation. My name is F.E.A.R. I am an artificial intelligence unit, designed to-"

Cutting the AI off, Colin said, "Let me guess, you study people's fears and then turn those fears against them?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Your name kind of gives it away," Colin said with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm guessing that whole being swallowed up by the Earth thing was you trying to break my spirit?"

"Not at all. That was just the pre-show." F.E.A.R said ominously. "Now it's time for the main event."

As soon as it said that, Colin heard a massive rumbling noise above his head. Looking up, he saw the holes providing light and air to the strange room he was in were now covered with dirt and stone.

Turning back to F.E.A.R, he said, "Am I correct in assuming you had something to do with that?"

"As a matter of fact, Buster Blue, you are." F.E.A.R replied. "There are officially no gaps remaining in this room through which oxygen can pass through…meaning if you don't dig your way out of here, you're going to suffocate."  
"Sounds easy enough. I have superstrength, remember?"

"Not exactly. You're in a simulation-a world of _my_ creation. As soon as you arrived here, I rewrote the rules as I saw fit." F.E.A.R began, letting out a sadistic laugh before continuing. "I was originally going to remove your Metahuman ability entirely, but I came up with an even better twist. You're aware of your weakpoint, yes? If you use your superstrength for too long, it takes over and you won't be able to tell friend from foe, remember?"

"I know. I've learned how to control it, now."

"That was before I came along." F.E.A.R told him. "In addition to not being able to control it while you're here, you'll soon discover that your weakpoint is no longer a part of you. I've separated your superstrength from your body and given it its own physical form. Now, you face two challenges-you have to dig out of here without the help of your power, all while being chased by _him._ "

Just then, a loud growling noise echoed throughout the confines of the room. Turning around, the Blue Ranger couldn't believe what he saw-standing in front of Colin…was Colin.

"Good luck, Blue Ranger." F.E.A.R said, feigning encouragement. "You're going to need it."

With that, the artificial intelligence warped away, leaving Colin alone with the hulking manifestation of his superstrength. Beating its chest and letting out a roar, Feral-Colin stomped towards the Blue Ranger, as a look of terror and fright formed on the boy's face.

"I'm not getting out of here easily, am I…?" Colin asked, as Feral-Colin launched himself at the teen. "Didn't think so,"

Winding up his fist, Feral-Colin socked his human counterpart square in the jaw, causing the latter to stumble backward while holding a hand to the injured area. Shaking off the pain, Colin clenched his fist, using the remaining strength in his body to take a fighting stance as his feral foe did the same.

"I might die tonight…but I ain't doing it without a fight!" Colin declared, launching himself towards his clone with renewed vigor in spite of his situation.

* * *

"Please tell me there's a way out of here!" Colleen shouted in pure dread as she scurried along the rafters, trying desperately to lose the massive basilisk-esque creature that was pursuing her.

The Yellow Ranger found herself mentally wishing she could trade her superagility for her red counterpart's superspeed as she continued to evade the beast, which was gaining on her little by little. As she turned a corner, a strange red construct made up of pure energy materialized in front of her, startling her so much she almost fell off the ledge and onto the snake-covered floor below.

"Greetings and salutations, Buster Yellow." F.E.A.R greeted, bowing slightly in order to feign politeness before continuing with, "You may be wondering why your fellow Rangers are missing, or alternatively, why you're being targeted by an army of venomous snakes."

"Guess it's just one of those nights," Colleen shrugged, trying her best to appear brave. "I deal with this kind of stuff all the time."

"I'm afraid you're wrong; my name is F.E.A.R. I am-"

"An AI, right?" Colleen interrupted. "Designed to destroy the Power Rangers, their allies, and the rest of human civilization, correct?"

"How did you-"

"Like I said, I deal with this sort of stuff all the time," Colleen told the artificial intelligence. "You may not be aware of this, but I spend most of my free time battling the robotic soldiers of a psychopathic AI just like yourself, so…yeah. I'm sort of used to it by now."

Letting out a small laugh, F.E.A.R said, "Act courageous all you want, Yellow Ranger. Your thin veneer couldn't be any more transparent unless it was made out of tissue paper. I know what drives you…and I also know what haunts you. For you see, unlike your mortal enemy, Psycho…I seek to destroy you using a different method. Dread, terror, the unknown…and any and all things that lurk within the shadows of your inferior mind. I have cultivated your darkest fears straight out of the recesses of your very _soul_ , and now, I've unleashed them upon you!"

Hearing a chorus of hissing sounds, Colleen shifted her gaze to below, where the snakes covering the floor had now begun to crawl up the walls, joining together with the basilisk in order to attack her.

Feeling the fear settling in, Colleen said, "How d-did you do this…? Where did these snakes c-come from…?"

"It's quite simple, my dear. This is a simulation-a reflection of your mortal world with a few minor tweaks made by myself, its creator. I based it almost entirely on your precious GPU's underground headquarters…with a dark twist. Using my power over this realm, I have filled it to the brim with creatures-the very creatures you despise the most. The creatures that have you shuddering at night whenever you hear the faintest hint of a hiss…I have filled these halls with all manner of snakes, adders, and reptilian beasts! They're going to slither and claw away at your psyche, and when they're done with you…there won't be anything left."

Closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths, Colleen reopened them before saying, "We'll see about that. What about the others?"

"Your friends and twin are all currently locked in their own simulations, Buster Yellow, each facing their own personal fear. I infiltrated your base tonight with the sole intention of breaking your spirits forever, and I swear on the particles that make up my physical body, I am not leaving here until each of you is an empty shell of a person. Soon, you will find at the very end of fear…oblivion."

Clenching her fist, Colleen said, "I've had enough of your crap, you digital wench! I promise, I'm gonna break out of your simulation, and then, I'm gonna help free the others!"

"The odds of that happening are significantly lower than you would think…never mind. I must admit, it will be quite entertaining to watch you succumb to your inevitable demise. Farewell."

With that, F.E.A.R warped away, leaving Colleen alone with the basilisk closing in and an army of snakes quickly crawling their way up to her. Seeing this, Colleen summoned all of her courage, gliding down to the floor and landing with a slight thud. Turning their heads, the snakes on the wall hissed, descending back downward with the intention of cornering their prey.

"I'm not afraid of you, anymore…" Colleen said to herself, growing braver and braver with every passing moment. "Bring it on!"

Hearing this, the basilisk dropped down and let out a loud roaring-esque noise, barring its fangs and preparing to order its troops into battle as the Yellow Ranger stood ready for a fight.

* * *

"Why are we still running?!" Shawn demanded, as he and Nate continued their fast-paced trek through the basement, both teens breathing heavily. "We don't even know where we're going!"

"No, but we can't afford to sit around and wait for whatever's chasing us to catch up, can we?!" Nate countered, his pace slowing as exhaustion set in. He was about to stop and take a breather when another roar from the strange creature caused him to decide against it. Quickly adjusting his glasses with his thumb, he added, "I think it's getting closer!"

"Which way is the elevator?!" Shawn asked in a voice full of panic, as he and his best friend continued to search desperately for their salvation. "I can't go on much longer!"

"It'll come to me, just give me a minute!" Nate told him, trying not to show that he was just as terrified as Shawn was. Making out a shape in the distance, he slowed to a halt, saying, "There it is!"

Coming to a stop beside his gold counterpart, Shawn replied, "Alright, good. Now all we need to do is-"

Out of nowhere, an ear-splitting thudding noise echoed through the room as the creature leapt through the air, landing in the shadows in front of them. Stomping its way through the dark expanse, it stepped into the light, revealing itself as a tall and unnaturally thin creature with leathery white skin that was covered in clear, syrup-like slime. It also had no distinguishable face; instead, on the front side of its head was a blank void, almost resembling the blurring effect TV editors used to censor people's faces on the news.

"T-that k-kinda looks like the D-D-Demogorgon…" Shawn said, his teeth chattering as his eyes laid transfixed on the beautiful, yet horrific creature.

"Demogorgon?" Nate asked, confused. "What's that?"

"It's from that show Stranger Things; y'know, the one Iris is really obsessed with?" **[2]**

"Who's Iris?"

"Duh, the petite girl with the brown hair I catch you gawking at all the time in Computer class!" Shawn said, as if it were obvious. "She's always playing that Oregon Trail mod with zombies in it instead of working, remember?"

"I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about," Nate lied, a small blush forming on his face. "On a more important note, what the hell _is_ this thing and how do we kill it?"

"You can't," Another voice said, as F.E.A.R materialized itself in-between the boys and the creature. "Or more accurately, you most likely won't be able to, given your skill set."

"Who are you?" Shawn asked. "And what are you talking about?"

"Tsk, tsk…why are you humans always so impatient? Very well, I'll cut to the chase. My name is F.E.A.R. I am an artificial intelligence unit, designed to destroy you using your deepest, darkest fears. You and your fellow Rangers have been placed in separate simulations, all appearing identical to your headquarters. They all have one key difference, though-each one is personalized, and houses a distinct fear specific to its Ranger. Red's features a giant cricket and shrinking hallways, Blue's has him trapped in an underground cave with limited oxygen and a clone of himself imbued with his superstrength, and Yellow's has her pitted against an army of snakes led by a gigantic basilisk. As for you two, I was running out of Enertron, so you have to share. And you'll never guess what your fear is."

"Um, that thing, maybe?" Nate said sarcastically, gesturing over to the strange white monster on the other end of the room. "Hate to burst your bubble, F.E.A.R, but it was scary up until it showed itself. That's the thing with monsters-less is always more."

"That's where you happen to be incorrect, Buster Gold." F.E.A.R replied. "Never judge a book by its cover…or in this case, a monster by its first reveal."

With that, F.E.A.R floated off to the side, allowing the monster to inch closer towards the Gold Ranger and his silver counterpart. Leaning in extremely close to the two, it stood completely and utterly still as its face began to morph, revealing its appearance to be that of an old man with pale, white skin and scars wearing a top hat. Its eyes were black, each with a single, miniscule white dot in the middle, and its alabaster teeth were stained blood red at the bottoms.

Soon, its arms began to change, too, as long, silver blades extended out of its skin, immediately staining them with blood as it began to breathe heavily, almost as if it were panting. Within moments, Nate and Shawn realized it wasn't an 'it'…in actuality, it was a man.

As the realization began to sink in, Nate allowed his mind to travel back, to when he and Shawn were much, much younger.

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _Can anyone tell me what we learned about last Friday?" Mr. Irons, a teacher at Nate and Shawn's old middle school in Daytona, asked, turning to his class of eleven and twelve year olds. "Anybody?"_

 _Hearing this, a female student raised her hand, prompting Mr. Irons to nod towards her. Standing up, the girl held up a drawing of a tall, slender man with alabaster skin, bladed arms, and a top hat, before saying, "We learned about the Whitechapel Murderer, an infamous serial killer who committed five murders in London in the year 1888. He was never caught, but several fake letters were sent to the police of people confessing to the crimes, and in those letters he was referred to as-"_

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"-Jack the Ripper…" Nate realized, feeling a cold shiver running up and down his spine. Swallowing his fear, he said, "You think we're afraid of some run of the mill serial killer from 19th Century London?"

"I don't _think_. I _know_." F.E.A.R said, letting out a light chuckle. "You humans are so contradictory. In one moment, you can summon all of the courage in the world, and in the next, you're cowering because of some idiotic urban myth. You weren't even alive during the time period he was active, and even if he got away there's no way he's still around, today, but yet you shudder at the thought of Jack the Ripper… I do find you Rangers such fascinating playthings… it's a shame I have to dispose of you. Oh well. Y'know the old saying-if you love experimenting on a sentient organism and watching it squirm, send it to die and move on with your life."

"That's not how the saying goes at all…" Shawn said in a slightly confused manner, as F.E.A.R faded away, leaving the two teens to deal with Jack the Ripper. As the monstrous looking serial killer inched closer and closer towards them, the Silver Ranger stammered, "C-Can we talk…?" **[3]**

With a loud grunt, Jack the Ripper slammed both of his arm-blades downward, prompting the pair to roll away in different direction in order to narrowly dodge the attack.

* * *

Watching from the real world as the five Rangers struggled to fight out of their simulations, F.E.A.R let out an evil laugh, saying, "I can barely believe my eyes; I've bested you five! Surely, you're about to meet your doom! Who knew that your hill to die on wasn't the real tangible world, but an artificial playground of _my_ design?"

* * *

Wiping the sweat from his brow and taking a deep breath, Nate said, "That's where you're wrong, F.E.A.R…I want you to listen good and well!"

* * *

"I'd love more than anything to say I'm not afraid…" Colin said as he barely dodged another swing from his feral clone, resulting in him slamming into a wall. "But the truth is…"

* * *

"I'm terrified," Colleen admitted, using her superagility to amplify the power of her punches and kicks as she held the basilisk and his giant army of snakes back. "But that doesn't mean I'm giving up,"

* * *

"We will not falter, and we will never give in!" Shawn declared, as he and Nate worked together to fight back against Jack the Ripper. Leaping into the air alongside his gold counterpart, he slammed his right foot into the monster's throat, all while saying, "Because the battle isn't here in this simulation, or inside of our minds…"

* * *

"It's in the real world with you!" Graham finished, delivering a superspeed-assisted punch to the giant cricket's jaw and causing it to spark uncontrollably. Stumbling backward, the creature let out a hiss, as it melted into streams of data.

Soon, the rest of the simulation followed suite, fading away around the Red Ranger. Within moments, the boy's vision began to flash, and he felt himself being whisked away as well, the feeling being almost identical to the one he felt when he stepped into a teleporter.

He felt a strange tingling sensation as he returned to his physical body, and his eyes snapped open as he finally regained consciousness.

Standing up and looking around to confirm if what he was seeing was real, Graham said, "I…I'm awake! I can't believe I'm awake!"

"We all are," Nate replied, as he, Colin, Colleen, and Shawn all rose to their feet.

"And we're all ready to kick F.E.A.R's digital ass to kingdom come!" Colin added, cracking his knuckles with a smirk on his face.

"I'm afraid _you_ are the ones about to get your 'asses' kicked." F.E.A.R replied, forming itself in front of the five.

"Wow, really? You're not like, shocked or anything? Usually the Metaloids we fight are like, flabbergasted that we're still alive." Colleen told the AI.

"I had a feeling you would overcome my simulations. That's why _I_ formed a contingency plan." F.E.A.R said, raising its hand as several red monsters made of pure energy warped into the room. "Digitrons, attack!"

Hearing this, the new footsoldiers rushed towards the Rangers, who all took a fighting stance. Launching themselves into the battle, the five brandished their morphers, preparing to transform as they bravely moved towards the incoming onslaught.

"Install: Spy-Busters!" The five said in unison, instantly morphing into their Ranger Suits.

"Savannah Hunter!" Graham shouted as he ran along the wall using his superspeed, punching and kicking the Digitrons as he moved past them. "Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior!" Colin hollered as he picked a Digitron up and spun it around, slamming it onto its head and causing it to melt away into streams of data. Picking up another one, he tossed it at an incoming group of the footsoldiers, destroying them all in a chain reaction as he said, "Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper!" Colleen cried, using her superagility to vault into the air before delivering a series of flying kicks to the Digitrons below. "Buster Yellow!"

"Rhinoceros Power!" Nate declared, using his telekinesis to lift the Digitrons into the air and hold them there before slashing at them with his Drive Blade. "Buster Gold!"

"Stag Power!" Shawn exclaimed, gunning down the Digitrons using his Morphin' Blaster and avoiding any and all attempts by his foes to counter-attack by using his hyper-detection. "Buster Silver!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!" The five said, forming up together as the remainder of the Digitrons faded away behind them, creating a large explosion of color in the background.

Clenching its artificial fist, F.E.A.R said, "You may've destroyed my Digitrons, but you won't get rid of me so easily! Prepare to die, Rangers!"

"Never!" Graham and the others countered, rushing towards the artificial intelligence.

"Take that! And that! And some of this!" Colin hollered as he repeatedly slammed his fists into the construct, pausing mid-swing as it suddenly vanished. Looking around, he said, "What the…where the hell did it go?"

Predicting an attack from behind using his hyper-detection, Shawn spoke up, saying, "CV, lookout!"

Hearing this, Colin ducked, just in time to dodge a sneak-attack from F.E.A.R. Turning around, he kicked it in the torso, disorienting it and causing it to slowly turn around.

"Here I go!" Colleen said, leaping into the air and using her superagility to hover closer to F.E.A.R. She didn't jump high enough, however, and started to fall before she could hit her target.

Seeing this, Nate used his telekinesis to lift her back up a couple of inches, allowing her to successfully deliver a flying kick to F.E.A.R's face.

Landing on the other side of her foe as it fell to the floor, the Yellow Ranger turned to her gold counterpart, saying, "Thanks."

"No problem," Nate replied, giving the girl a thumbs up.

"You think an attack like that is enough to stop _me_?!" F.E.A.R roared as it floated back to its feet. "It's gonna take a lot more than that, you insolent brats!"

"You talk too much," Nate pointed out. Looking to the other side of the room, he said, "Graham, _now_!"

Nodding, Graham supersped towards F.E.A.R, as Nate utilized his telekinesis, lifting the Wii U off of the floor and tossing it in the Red Ranger's direction. Catching the game console mid-run, Graham lifted it over his head, slamming it down onto F.E.A.R the second he crossed paths with the artificial intelligence.

Somehow, this did the trick, as the videogame system phased right through F.E.A.R's head and neck and sunk directly into its torso, where its core programming was located. Sparking uncontrollably, the artificial intelligence sputtered around for a bit.

Sinking to the floor, it let out one last gasp before exploding into small streams of data, finally dying. Stopping in their tracks, the five Rangers all sighed in relief, taking deep breathes and trying to recover from the battle.

After a few minutes, Colin broke the silence in the room, saying, "And people said the Wii U wasn't a powerful console.", eliciting a laugh from the others as they all realized the exact same thing-they'd won. **[4]**

* * *

"Whatever that thing was, it managed to hack into our mainframe, and it took control of the whole system. The Lieutenants and I have been locked in here all night." Captain Shields said, as he addressed the Rangers inside the Command Room. "According to scans, however, it's gone, now. You five managed to purge it from the network."

Speaking up, Lieutenant Rose asked, "Sir, where do you think it came from?"

"I don't know, Lieutenant, but one thing is for sure. Psycho isn't the only threat we have to worry about." Captain Shields replied. "I've been doing a lot of research since the incident on the island. Clearly, the Vaglass aren't the only active evil organization interested in taking us down. They have allies, and I'm sure whoever made this 'F.E.A.R' program is one of them. Either way, we need to keep our guard up. This fight is far from over."

"Understood," Graham said, nodding along with the rest of his teammates. "We'll do our best, Captain."

"I'm sure you will, son." Captain Shields said. "I'm really proud of you- _all_ of you. You've shown tremendous skill and teamwork here, tonight. You may just be the finest team of Rangers the world has ever known."

"Thank you, sir." The five replied in unison, giving the Captain a salute.

"At ease," He replied, letting out a bit of a chuckle. "I called you here for a lock-in, not Ranger duty. So go have fun. It might be late, but you guys are still young. You should take a break from being superheroes every once in a while and act like what you really are-teenagers. You're dismissed."

"Alright! The lock-in continues!" Shawn hollered, high-fiving Colin before saying, "Want another chance to beat me at Super Smash Bros.?"

"You're on!" Colin said with a smirk, joining the Silver Ranger as he walked out of the Command Room and into the Common Area.

"I'm gonna go make some snacks. I'm _waaay_ too wired to go back to bed right now." Colleen said to Graham. As she made her way out of the room, she turned back to face him, saying, "You want anything?"

"N-No thanks," Graham declined rather quickly. "Thanks, though."

"You're welcome," Colleen said with a smile, exiting the room and leaving Graham and Nate by themselves.

Elbowing the Red Ranger to get his attention, Nate said, "Rough night, huh? I thought we weren't gonna make it for a little bit, to be honest with you."

"Same," Graham agreed, turning to face his gold counterpart. "Being a Ranger is definitely getting tougher. We really need to step up our game."

"Agreed," Nate said with a nod, adjusting his glasses before changing the subject. "Say, what's up with you and Colleen? Y'know, why're you always acting so weird around her?"

"Weird? What do you mean…?" Graham asked, confused.

"Well, y'know, _weird_. Like, earlier, for example. The hair thing."

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _Haha! I win again!" Shawn hollered as he won yet another round of Super Smash Bros., causing the other three boys to groan in annoyance._

" _Dangit, that's like, the third time he's won!" Graham complained, setting his controller down gently and folding his arms. "Why is he so good?"_

" _He practices all the time," Nate said matter-of-factly. "He's been kicking my ass ever since I can remember."_

" _You mean whooping your butt?" Graham corrected, slightly offended by Nate's use of profanity._

" _Sorry; I forgot you don't care for swearing," Nate said, genuinely apologizing._

" _It's alright," Graham told him, as a loud whirring noise emanated from the teleporter._

" _Recognized: Colleen, B-05." An electronic voice said over the loud-speaker, as the Yellow Ranger stepped into the Common Area. Turning his head, Graham looked at her, seeing she was wearing her hair differently. Instead of her usual ponytail, she had styled it in two shoulder-length pigtails, with each one being held together by green bows._

" _Hey, guys!" She greeted with a smile, wheeling a small suitcase behind her. "What's up?"_

 _Gesturing to her head, Graham said, "Y-Your hair…it looks-"_

" _Different?" She asked._

" _Yeah…b-but in a good way!" Graham said, blushing slightly. "It looks, uh, good. Really good."_

 _Blushing a light shade of pink, Colleen replied with, "Thanks."_

" _Y-You're welcome…" Graham told her, turning around before burying his face in a nearby book._

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

Smirking with realization, Nate said, "You like her, don't you?"

Blushing madly, Graham said, "I, uh…see ya!"

With that, the Red Ranger ran out of the room, prompting his gold counterpart to run after him. Letting out a laugh, Nate said, "Why're you running? You know I'm gonna catch you!"

"No you're not! I'm a speedster, remember?" Graham replied, laughing as Nate chased him around the room.

"Come back here!" Nate shouted, as Colleen looked on from the sidelines, letting out a light giggle.

"It's good to see those two bonding," Lieutenant Rose said, as her and Lieutenant Woods stood in the doorway of the Command Room, watching the teens' crazed antics. "They're getting along a lot better than they did when Nate and Shawn first joined the team."

"Well, that's what war does to you. Makes you grow attached to the ones you fight alongside, regardless of your differences." Lieutenant Woods replied.

A few moments of awkward silence followed, eventually being broken by Lieutenant Woods when he said, "Hey Alicia?"

"Yes, Martin?" Lieutenant Rose asked, turning to face her colleague.

"Do you consider us, y'know, friends?"

"Of course, Martin." Lieutenant Rose told him genuinely. "You're one of my best friends in the GPU. I don't know _what_ I'd do if anything ever happened to you."

"I feel the same way about you," Lieutenant Woods said, giving her an awkward smile. "Anyway, goodnight. Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams to you too, Martin." Rose echoed, as the two went their separate ways, each heading home for the night.

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

"Well, that was a failure…" A middle-aged man wearing goggles said to himself, standing up from his chair and turning away from the computer he had been huddled over. Looking to someone in the shadows, he said, "I don't suppose you're pleased, Professor Rorke?"

"On the contrary," The figure said, stepping into the light to reveal himself as a tall and studious looking Caucasian male with black curly hair and dull blue eyes. He wore a white lab coat, and had an eerie demeanor about him. "So the program failed. You know as well as I do that science progresses in fits and starts."

"You…you mean you're really not mad?"

"Not at all." Professor Rorke replied, flashing an evil grin. "We'll perfect the program, and when it's ready…the Power Rangers will be _history_."

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, Graham, Colin, and Colleen can be seen in a large, gray expanse, all three of them watching a recording of their mothers' deaths with solemn looks on their faces. Out of nowhere, raindrops begin to fall, filling the screen with color as the vocals start.*)**_

 _ **~Take a breath, take a long look around before you step,**_

 _ **Cuz the tide is coming, swallowing the ground.~**_

 _ **(*Graham whips his head around desperately as water begins to fill the room, threatening to drown the three teens. Beating on the walls, he tries to break free, to no avail*)**_

 _ **~And there's no way to tell if we will drown tonight,**_

 _ **Or we'll be found tonight.~**_

 _ **(*An image of Graham, Colin, and Colleen's dead bodies drifting along in the water can be seen, only to disappear a moment later, the whole thing being revealed as a nightmare as Graham sits up in bed, screaming.*)**_

 _ **~So come in close, if the current gets us, then it get us both,**_

 _ **We can't wait here anymore.~**_

 _ **(*As Graham walks down the sidewalk, he spots Colleen off in the distance. Gazing at her longingly, he rushes over to her, only for a wall of solid energy to separate them, causing him to frown. The Vaglass come out of nowhere, storming the area and firing at them both. The two look up, realizing they have no choice but to fight.*)**_

 _ **~So if the waves come, let 'em take us,**_

 _ **As they cover you and me, and they pull us underneath.~**_

 _ **(*Graham and the others rush to fight the Buglars, instantly morphing as they punch and kick the footsoldiers into submission. Seeing Enter, Graham charges him, slashing wildly. However, he is thrown onto his back by the Avatar, who walks up to him, pointing a laser pistol at his head. Demorphing, Graham grimaces, accepting his defeat.*)**_

 _ **~I hope that fate will forgive us, for tempting the sea,**_

 _ **I hope that they won't forget us!~**_

 _ **(*Graham turns to his teammates as they are all are dragged into Hyperspace by Enter. No doubt, the five are to be executed for opposing the Vaglass. Bowing his head, Graham prays a desperate prayer, as Colleen looks at him, a single tear running down her cheek.*)**_

 _ **~No, we can't go back,**_

 _ **To the way it used to be.~**_

 _ **(*Waking up on the grass, Graham stands up, realizing it was all another dream. Looking to his right, he sees his friends, including Colleen, who waves him over with a warm smile on her face. Taking a quick look at a picture of his mother in his pocket, Graham puts it away before joining his friends, a smile on his face despite himself. Seeing this, Colin, Nate, and Shawn all pat him on the back, and Colleen reaches for his hand. Graham nervously takes it, squeezing it lightly as the five friends walk towards the sunset, the song ending as the camera pans away.*)**_

 ***End Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, that's pretty much it for this episode. Next one will be up whenever I get around to it. Please leave a review if you feel so inclined, and maybe even recommend this story to a friend. I'm thankful for all the loyal readers I have so far, but I gotta admit, it'd be nice to have some more. I'm only averaging around two to three reviews per chapter and I've never been a review hog or anything, but I'm pouring everything I have into these episodes and I feel like I deserve a little more. I've done everything I can possibly think of to gain more recognition, but nothing seems to work. I'm not dissing you guys or anything like that, but I would really appreciate it if you tried to spread the word about Spy-Busters. I see other people's PR stories and they're ten times as popular as mine, and it makes me a little jealous, I'm not gonna lie. I keep hoping that my story'll be like that someday, but that only goes so far. _**Please**_ recommend this to anyone you know who reads fanmade Power Rangers seasons. My life kind of sucks at the moment, but a little recognition might help make me at least hate life a little less.

Anyway, that's enough for my pity party/rant/cry for help or whatever you wanna call it. Here's a list of all the references and other thingamajigs in the chapter. After that, there's a preview for the next episode. Other than that, I got nothing. See ya next update! Take care.

 **[1]-** This is a reference to Will Ferrell's character Brennan from one of my favorite movies, Step-Brothers. In particular, this is what he shouts out upon waking up after the sleepwalking scene. I couldn't help myself; plus, the randomness of the line just fits Shawn's character perfectly.

 **[2]-** You probably know this if you've seen my profile, but I am _**OBSESSED**_ with Stranger Things. That'll become especially apparent when I finish Spy-Busters and finally move on to its sequel, a horror-themed adaptation of ToQger which, you guessed it, will be heavily inspired by Stranger Things. Also, remember Iris. She's a character that'll be showing up a lot throughout this season.

 **[3]-** Another little nod to one of my favorite movies, in this case, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze. It's kind of mediocre when compared to the first live action TMNT romp from 1990, but I grew up on it so it holds a special place in my heart. Plus it's LIGHT YEARS better than either of the god-awful Michael Bays Turtle movies.

 **[4]-** Stupid joke, I know, but I thought it was clever. Plus, the Wii U was totally underpowered compared to its competitors.

Anyway, now that we're done with that, here's the preview for next episode! See ya next time!

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** _Colleen misses her late mother, causing her to sink into depression. Meanwhile, the evil Reviveloid causes trouble for the others, using his unique powers to resurrect previously defeated Metaloids. Can the Yellow Ranger get over her funk in time to defeat him? Find out, in_ **Episode 10: Revenge of the Metaloids!**


	10. Ep 10: Revenge of the Metaloids

**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter! Before you start reading, though, I'd just like to take a moment to apologize for what I said in my last author's note. I didn't intend to come off as ungrateful or greedy, but I totally did and I need to make amends.

If you've been faithfully reading/reviewing each and every chapter, I want you to know, I love and appreciate you all, and I wouldn't trade a single one of you guys for anything. You guys are my motivation, and to be honest, you're one of the few reasons I even get out of bed in the morning. I've taken you for granted, lately, and I'm sorry.I want you all to know you mean the world to me, and your support keeps me going. Pat yourselves on the back, cuz you're awesome.

Oh, and I'm also sorry this episode took so long to come out. I have an explanation, though-I had a really busy summer, lol. I'll explain more in the second author's note. For now, just enjoy the chapter. If you wanna leave a review, great! If not, well, that's okay, too.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

A week or so had passed since the incident with F.E.A.R. It was currently Saturday, and Graham was sleeping peacefully in his bed when his alarm began glaring, causing him to snap his eyes open as he was roused from his slumber.

"Graham, buddy, time to wake up!" His Uncle Scott called from the other side of the door, knocking on it to make sure the teenager was awake. "Get up and get dressed; the Kanes will be here soon!"

Hearing this, Graham immediately groaned; he was really not looking forward to having company over, especially not the Kane family. They were nice enough, but they had always come off as a tad bit snooty. He understood why his Aunt and Uncle loved them so much-they had a lot of kids that were the exact same age as theirs, they lived in the same neighborhood, and they were also devout Apostolics so they weren't bad influences. Still, Graham thought they could be a bit dull and even snooty at times, and her preferred to hang out with his own friends on the weekends, anyway.

He didn't exactly have a choice, though; considering that the Kanes were coming to _their_ house, and not the other way around, he couldn't just duck out by pretending to be sick or suddenly "remembering" he had "an important school assignment" he had to work on.

 _Guess I'll just have to suck it up, huh?_ Graham thought to himself, sitting up in bed and rubbing his tired blue eyes before letting out a yawn. _I wonder what the others are up to…_

* * *

Elsewhere, with Nate and Shawn…

"C'mon, _please_?"

"I don't know, Shawn. I'm _really_ busy with this project right now." Nate replied from his desk, his head buried in some kind of electronic device as he worked on its wiring.

On the other side of the room, Shawn had his arms folded, as he tried to convince his best friend to go to the local movie theater with him.

"You're just stringing random wires onto a board. You don't even know what you're doing," Shawn said

"That isn't-" Nate began, being stopped mid-sentence when the board he was working on started smoking, causing the Gold Ranger to cough as he attempted to fan the smoke out the window. As he picked up the ruined board and got up to throw it away, he looked at it one last time before saying, "Okay, so I'm better with software than I am hardware. That doesn't make it any less of a learning experience."

"But you can have a learning experience anytime you want, dude. It's called school." Shawn pointed out, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out two movie tickets. He then proceeded to wave them in front of his roommate's face, as he said, "But an awesome experience like the _terrifying_ new horror movie 'Revenge of the Killer Murderers: The Murderers Strike Back'? That's rare."

"And also _stupid_. Who wants to go to some dumb horror movie where they indulge in a bunch of cinematic clichés while also failing to capture the magic of the films those clichés were spawned from?"

"Evidently, Iris, if her last Facebook post is any indication." Shawn said, whipping out his phone and showing Nate a post from their classmate Iris Mayflower's Facebook page.

"I'll go tell Sister Catherine we're leaving!" Nate said rather quickly, grabbing his wallet off his desk and shoving it into his pocket before rushing out of the room.

 _I knew that'd get him to change his mind,_ Shawn thought to himself, snickering a little bit as he grabbed his jacket and headed after his gold counterpart. Looking at his phone, he tapped his thumb against the back of it a few times, thinking to himself some more. _I wonder if the others would wanna go with us…_

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Shields/Voice Residence…

Colin was lazily lounging on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with a bored expression on his face, when his phone rang, prompting him to sit up and hurriedly reach for his dresser, fumbling around for the electronic device until he eventually found it.

Picking it up, he looked at the screen, seeing that Shawn was calling him. Pressing the button to answer it, he held it up to his ear before saying, "Hello?"

"Hey." Shawn said from the other end. "What's up, CV?"

"Nothing much. Kind of a boring morning, to be honest," Colin began. "Anyway, what about you? Are you and Nate doing anything?"

"Actually, we are." Shawn said matter-of-factly. "We're going to see that brand new horror movie."

"Revenge of the Killer Murderers: The Murderers Strike Back?" Colin asked.

"That's the one," Shawn confirmed. "We're going to the theater inside the local mall; we're aiming for the 12:00 showing. Anyway, I'm calling to ask if you and Colleen wanted to go. Maybe Graham could come, too?"

"Graham can't go; he said something about some family friends coming over for the day. Colleen and I are free, though."

"That's good. Bummer about Graham, though." Shawn said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Anyway, let's meet up outside the mall, alright? That way it'll be easier to find eachother."

"Alright, sounds good. We'll see you guys there."

"You got it. Later."

"Later," Colin echoed, hanging up his phone before hopping out of bed. Changing into his usual attire, he slipped his phone into his pocket and grabbed his wallet before exiting his room and stepping out into the hallway.

Entering the bathroom, he proceeded to perform his daily hygiene routine, consisting of brushing his teeth, using mouthwash, putting on deodorant, applying acne cream, shaving, and lastly, combing his hair.

Thoroughly satisfied with the way he looked, he left the bathroom and turned towards Colleen's bedroom door, preparing to knock on it in order to summon her. However, as he stepped closer to the door, he swore he heard sniffling.

Tilting his head in slight confusion, Colin lightly tapped on the door with his knuckles before saying, "Colleen, are you alright? You sound like you're crying."

Hearing this from inside her bedroom, Colleen replied, "I-I'm not crying; everything's fine. Give me a minute,"

A few seconds later, the door opened up, revealing a rather unkempt looking Colleen. Her hair wasn't done, and she was still in her pajamas. Her nose and face were also slightly red, indicating that she'd been crying. Seeing this, Colin said, "Are you sure, sis? You look really upset about something."

"It's nothing, I promise…" Colleen said rather unconvincingly, instantly letting him know she was lying. Rubbing one of her eyes, she continued, saying, "Was there something you wanted?"

"Yeah, actually. Graham's stuck at home with some family thing, today, but Nate and Shawn are free, and they wanted to know if we'd be interested in going to the movies with them. We're gonna meet up inside the mall a half hour before. Anyway, you should get dressed."

"That sounds great, but…I think I'm just gonna stay home." Colleen replied, causing him to frown. "Have fun though, alright?"

"I uh…I will." Colin said, shifting his gaze so his twin couldn't see how concerned he was for her. "Bye."

"Bye," Colleen echoed, shutting her door and leaving Colin in the hall by himself.

 _Well, that was weird…_ Colin thought to himself, as he walked out into the living room and exited the apartment, locking the door behind him with his key. As he began the long walk to the local mall, he continued to think to himself. _I wonder what she was crying about…_

* * *

Back in Colleen's Room…

Colleen sniffled as she sat back down on her bed, cradling her legs to her chest with her left arm as she reached for her dresser with her right. Picking up a picture frame containing a photo of an older woman with green eyes and bright red hair, she let a few tears fall, before allowing a single word to escape her lips.

" _Momma…"_ Colleen managed to squeak, closing her eyes as more tears started to fall.

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**_

 _ **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**_

 _ **(*Shots of all five Rangers flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, Colleen is riding a bike, Nate is writing something in a journal, and Shawn is playing a handheld videogame console. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**_

 _ **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**_

 _ **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**_

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 _ **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**_

 _ **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**_

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist as the others follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, with the other four quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the five spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 _ **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*A shot of the five Rangers piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot is shown. Gripping the controls, they each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**_

 _ **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show Graham and the others standing side by side, all five of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the five instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, they all rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 10: Revenge of the Metaloids**

Nate and Shawn were waiting patiently inside the mall when they finally saw Colin push his way through the crowd, holding up his hand in a form of a wave as he continued to walk towards them.

When he finally reached them, he lowered his hand before saying, "Sorry I'm late, guys. The bus I was on was pretty full so we had a lot of stops to get through before it finally dropped me off here."

"It's okay; we still have a few minutes until the movie starts and even then it's like, twenty minutes of previews." Nate told him. Looking around, he added, "Hey, where's Colleen?"

"Oh, she didn't feel like coming." Colin told him. "I thought I heard sniffling from inside her room and when she answered the door, she looked like she was crying. Anyway, she told me she'd rather stay home today."

"Hmm…well that's weird." Shawn observed, stroking his chin. "I wonder what she was upset about…"

"No idea. She usually gets really depressed this time of year, and it lasts for a few days before going away." Colin explained. "When she gets like this, she spends most of her time in her room. I'm a little worried, but I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Well, I hope she gets better." Nate said genuinely, as the three boys headed off to buy their tickets for the movie. "Anyway, I wonder how Graham's day is going, so far. Think he's having fun?"

"I'm sure he's having a blast." Colin replied, as they got into the ticket line.

* * *

Elsewhere, at the Glover Residence…

Graham mentally groaned as he sat at the kitchen table, trying to enjoy a glass of Mt. Dew as he listened to the idle chatter between his Aunt Tammy and Mrs. Kane, who were in the kitchen going on about god knows what.

Whatever it was, it was definitely boring, but Graham would take anything over listening to the Kane's son, Alexander. He was Graham's age, and he looked pretty cool from a short distance, but if you actually talked to him, you'd soon realize he was dull, conceited, and even a little selfish. He spent most of his time in conversation gloating about his numerous accomplishments, and while Graham respected the dedication and hard work that most likely went _into_ achieving such feats, he still didn't care for a boaster.

This day was definitely not going the way Graham had intended. To be perfectly honest, he had forgotten all about the get-together his Aunt and Uncle had planned with the Kane family, and he had originally planned to spend his Saturday hanging out with his fellow Rangers. However, now he was stuck in Dullsville, USA, and he'd do anything to get out of it.

"Say, Tammy, how has Graham been since we last saw him?" Mrs. Kane asked, piquing Graham's interest. "Has this school year gone well for him, so far?"

"Actually, Graham is doing _a lot_ better than last year. He's making more friends, his grades are improving, and he's also taking part in an… _extracurricular_ he particularly enjoys." Tammy told her, subtly alluding to her nephew's duty as a Power Ranger without giving away the secret.

"Well, that's nice. He's a very good kid, Tammy. You've done an amazing job raising him."

"Thank you." Tammy replied with a smile.

"Speaking of which, is he seeing anyone?" Mrs. Kane asked. "Because Jamie isn't, and David and I think they would make a _wonderful_ couple."

Upon hearing this, Graham did an immediate spit-take, spraying Mt. Dew all over the table and drawing a ton of attention to himself. Looking up at his Aunt, he rubbed the back of his head, letting out an awkward chuckle.

"M-My bad…sorry, Aunt Tammy." Graham said as he stood up, walking over to the sink and grabbing a wet washcloth before wiping off the table, removing the stick liquid from its surface before drying it off with a paper towel. Grabbing his cup, he walked out of the kitchen and opened the door to the basement, going halfway down the stairs before sitting down and reflecting on what he just heard.

 _They're gonna try to set me up with JAMIE?_ Graham thought to himself, internally groaning at the prospect. _I mean, she's a nice girl, and she's kind of cute, but she can be a little self-absorbed, and plus, I kind of have a thing for-_

Shaking his head to interrupt his latest train of thought, Graham stood up and headed back upstairs, going into the kitchen to set his glass of soda down as he grabbed his hoody off the back of a chair and threw it on, saying, "See you, Aunt Tammy; I'm gonna go outside and play croquet with Mr. Kane and Alexander."

"Okay then. Make sure to be back in an half hour for dinner; you'll need to-"

"I know, I know; wash my hands and help set the table. Don't worry, I got it." Graham assured her.

"Alright then," Tammy said, turning her attention back to Mrs. Kane before saying, "Yeah, Graham is definitely still available. Maybe we can see if either of them is interested and try to set something up?"

Hearing this prompted Graham to rush out the front door, now even more desperate to escape the conversation between his Aunt and Mrs. Kane. He did _not_ like the direction it was going.

* * *

Colleen sniffled as she walked down the street, wiping the tears from her eyes in an attempt to maintain her composure. She was normally a very cheerful girl, but she almost always got depressed at this time of year. The reason for that was very simple…it was because of her mother.

Letting out a sad sigh, Colleen swallowed back another wave of tears she felt coming on, as a memory began to unearth itself in the back of her mind…

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

 _A seven year old Colleen let out a fit of giggles as she ran through the grass at a local park, where her and her brother were playing. Turning her head to look at a woman with long red hair and green eyes, she said, "C'mon, mama, keep up!"_

 _Letting out a laugh, Colleen's mother said, "I'm sorry, sweetie, but you're too fast; momma isn't as quick as she used to be."_

" _That doesn't mean you can't try, though!" Colleen said cheerfully, poking her mother on the arm before saying, "Tag, you're it!"_

" _Well, when you put it like that…tag!" Mrs. Voice said, tagging her daughter right back before running off. "Now you're it!"_

 _Seeing this, Colleen's mouth formed into a wide grin as she chased after her mother, giggling the entire way. Her mother rarely played with her anymore because of how exhausting it could be, so whenever she did, it made Colleen so happy. She was having a blast._

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

 _I miss her so much…_ Colleen thought to herself, shedding a single tear as she continued to walk down the sidewalks of Starview Heights' downtown area. _It's been more than a decade but I still can't believe she's really gone…_

The Yellow Ranger was about to duck into a local flower shop when she heard her Morphin' Brace go off, causing her to sigh in annoyance.

 _Stupid Vaglass…they can't even give me a single day off to visit my mom's grave?_ She thought to herself, wiping the tears from her eyes as she turned tail and sprinted off in the direction of the attack.

* * *

Inside the mall, Colin, Nate, and Shawn had just finished their movie. As they exited the theater, they talked and laughed amongst themselves, discussing their thoughts on the flick in question.

"Dude, that movie was _sooo_ bad," Shawn began, his mouth forming into a toothless grin as he continued with, "I _LOVED_ it!"

"It was kind of bad in a 'so bad its good' kind of way." Nate agreed, taking a moment to adjust his glasses with his thumb. "I nearly _died_ when that dumb blonde chick got killed because she refused to turn around and swim through the water to safety. I mean, I know it's probably hard to swim when you have breasts _that_ large, but sheesh. People in horror movies are dumb."

"They're not just dumb. They're dumb as _dog shit._ " Colin added, making Shawn laugh so hard soda almost sprayed out of his nose. "Anyway, we should probably head home, now."

"Probably." Shawn said with a nod. "Ready to go, Nate?"

"Yeah, yeah, in a minute," Nate said rather quickly, not paying attention as he glanced over at someone at the concession stand. Following his gaze, Shawn spotted a girl their age with pale Caucasian skin and big brown eyes. She was shorter than most girls in their grade, and was kind of petite, too. She had long, flowing brown hair, and wore an outfit consisting of a Friday the 13th t-shirt, a dark denim miniskirt with black leggings, and black sneakers. Shawn instantly recognized her as Iris, the girl he had been teasing Nate about off and on ever since they had moved to Starview Heights.

Patting his best friend on the shoulder, Nate said, "I'll be right back." before leaving and making his way over to the girl.

Tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention as she browsed through the different candies and snacks the theater was selling, he greeted her, saying, "Uh, Iris, right?"

Turning to face him, the girl replied, "That's my name, don't wear it out. And you are?"

"Sorry, how rude of me. I'm Nate; we have Computer class together at school."

"I thought you looked familiar!" Iris said in realization, a small grin forming on her face. "You and your friend Shane just moved to town, right?"

"Shawn, actually, but yeah. We got transferred from our last orphanage." Nate told her, electing to leave out the parts about hacking and becoming a Power Ranger. "Anyway, what movie are you seeing? I've heard you're a big horror buff, but I don't know if that's true."

"Oh, it's true. I _love_ horror movies!" Iris exclaimed. "I'm here to see a new one, actually. Revenge of the Killer Murderers."

"No way, that's crazy! Shawn and I _literally_ just saw it with our friend Colin." Nate said, feigning surprise. He didn't think it would be wise to reveal he had only watched the movie because he had heard she was going to be there.

"Wow, that's cool! Was it any good? Don't spoil anything."

"It was great, actually." Nate said, lying a little bit. He had enjoyed himself _watching_ the movie, but the actual movie itself was, in his opinion, subpar at best. "Really great gore effects."

"Well, Attack of the Killer Murderers had awesome gore, so it only makes sense that the sequel would, too. I don't think it's gonna be as good as the original, though. AotKM was a _really_ great movie."

"Interesting…I've actually never seen the first one."

"No way, you _haven't_?" Iris asked, somewhat dumbfounded. "It is _amazing_ ; you _HAVE_ to watch it! I have it on DVD, maybe I'll let you borrow it someday."

"I don't know; Sister Catherine is _really_ strict about what she lets us watch. We're lucky if we're able to watch anything rated PG at home." Nate replied. "Maybe I can come over and watch it with you, instead? Y'know, if that's okay."

"Actually, that'd be great." Iris said, giving the boy a smile. "When do you wanna do it?"

"I don't know, next Saturday, maybe?"

"It's a date," Iris replied, causing Nate to blush as she grabbed a bag of sour candies and sashayed over to the concession stand line. He stood there for the next several moments, unable to take his eyes off of the girl as she purchased her snacks.

" _She's incredible…"_ Nate murmured, losing himself in some sort of trance and completely ignoring the sound of his Morphin' Blaster going off in his pocket.

"Yeah, yeah, I bet she is." Shawn said, having snuck up behind the Gold Ranger. Grabbing him by the arm and tugging on it, he added, "C'mon, Romeo, we gotta go."

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Nate said in annoyance, ripping his arm away from his silver counterpart's grasp. "Jeez…"

With that, the two boys met up with their blue counterpart before exiting the mall, heading for the scene of the attack.

* * *

Lastly, Graham was in the middle of setting the table in preparation for the dinner with the Kane family when his Morphin' Brace went off, causing him to immediately glance at his Aunt Tammy, as if he were silently asking her for permission to respond. Closing her eyes, Aunt Tammy let out a sigh before re-opening her eyes and speaking.

"Huh. Looks like we're out of napkins. Graham, do you mind running out and grabbing some?" She asked, giving her nephew a knowing look.

"Not at all, Aunt Tammy. I'll be right back." The boy replied, grabbing his hoodie and throwing it on as he rushed out the door, hopping onto Cheetah Nick in his bike form and putting on a red helmet before driving towards the scene of the attack.

* * *

Screams of terror filled the area around Starview Heights' downtown plaza as people fled as fast as they could from several incoming squadrons of Buglars, all of which were being led by a stocky white Metaloid.

This Metaloid was themed after some sort of defibrillator; its torso was rectangular in design, and featured a small screen in the center that seemed to be displaying the Vaglass logo in red. Its head was a simple square with its face shaped like the first aid logo. Finally, its hands were shaped like defibrillator pads, with several loose black wires connecting the hands to the back of the torso.

Growling in frustration, the Metaloid clenched its fists, saying, "Where are they? You'd think their superiors would've deployed them by now!"

"Looking for us?"

Turning his head, the Metaloid was just in time to see Colin, Colleen, Nate, and Shawn running towards him, stopping a few feet away from him. Soon, they were joined by Graham, who rode in on Cheetah Nick's motorcycle mode before swerving to a halt and removing his helmet.

Dismounting and making his way over to his team, Graham watched as the Metaloid tilted its head, seeming to study them.

"Interesting…" He observed. "Are you by any chance the Power Rangers?"

"I don't know," Graham said with a bit of a laugh, as he and the others brandished their morphers. "Does this answer your question? It's Morphin Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!" The five hollered in unison, instantly morphing into their Ranger Suits.

"Finally…I found you." The Metaloid said, letting out a sigh. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am Reviveloid."

"That's odd…I guess 'Defibrilattorloid' was too long?" Colin said in a sarcastic tone, causing Reviveloid to angrily stomp his foot on the ground.

"I've had enough of your sarcasm, petty humans!" Reviveloid growled. Raising his hand, he commanded his footsoldiers, saying, "Buglars, attack!"

Looking to his team, Graham said, "You know the drill, guys. Let's go!"

With that, the five dashed forward, launching themselves into the heart of battle like they had done so many times before. Brandishing their weapons, the teens met the Buglars halfway, and the two sides began to clash.

As per usual, Colin relied on his physical strength, punching, slamming, and chopping the footsoldiers into submission.

Grabbing a Buglar by its legs, the Blue Ranger lifted it above his head before slamming it into another, causing both to explode. Whipping out his Spy-Saber to counter a swing from another Buglar, he slashed it across the stomach, causing it to spark uncontrollably before falling to the ground and dying.

Seeing this, the rest of the Buglars that were attacking him ran for their lives, not wanting to suffer the same fate. However, they were cut off by Colleen, who proceeded to slam her hand down on her Transpod, materializing her Spy-Blaster.

"Not so fast," She said, gripping her weapon in both hands and gunning down the stragglers in seconds. Turning around just in time to see another group fast approaching, the Yellow Ranger ran to take them on, firing wildly.

Meanwhile, Nate and Shawn were in the middle of a standoff with their own group of Buglars.

Sensing they were being flanked using his hyper-detection, the Silver Ranger turned to his gold counterpart, saying, "Nate?"

"I know," The Gold Ranger said, turning his head to see Burglars all around them. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Depends on what you're thinking."

"Just follow my lead," Nate told him, rolling his eyes underneath his helmet. Using his telekinesis, he lifted the Buglars up into the air, and allowed them to hover in mid-air. "Shawn! Blast 'em, now!"

"You got it!" Shawn hollered, whipping out his Morphin' Blaster and gunning down most of the floating Buglars.

Releasing his telekinetic grip on the surviving footsoldiers, Nate brandished his Drive Blade and gripped it tightly, before using the weapon to slash them into pieces.

"Piece of cake," The Gold Ranger said, holstering his weapon as he did.

On the other side of the battlefield, Graham was still fighting his own wave of attackers. As the Buglars attempted to strike him with their weapons, the Red Ranger dodged using his trademark superspeed. Materializing his Spy-Saber, he launched an attack of his own, swinging wildly at his foes until they all fell to his blade.

Watching as the last of his footsoldiers exploded, Reviveloid said, "You Rangers think you're tough, don't you? You're definitely strong, no doubt about that. However…you don't stand a chance against me."

"Yeah, yeah, we've heard that one a million times, pal." Colin replied, folding his arms in indifference. "You're all talk, no game, just like all Metaloids. Trust me, you're going _down_."

"If you're so sure, why don't you come over and prove it?" Reviveloid asked. Unbeknownst to Colin, he reached behind his back with his left hand and grabbed a strange object of some sort.

Seeing this, Colleen attempted to warn her twin, saying, "Colin, don't do it! It's a-"

"Challenge accepted!" Colin boomed, beating on his chest with both fists before running full-speed towards Reviveloid, swinging his arms in the Metaloid's direction as he got close enough.

"-trap…" Colleen finished, as Reviveloid grabbed the Blue Ranger by the wrist, holding him in place and preventing him from moving.

"Uh oh…" Colin said, only now realizing the weight of his mistake.

"You're not very bright, are you?" Reviveloid taunted, whipping out the device in his left hand and looking to Colin before saying, "Don't worry, this'll only sting a little bit."

"What will?" Colin asked in confusion, being caught off-guard when Reviveloid pressed the device to his stomach and started scanning him. "What the…what the hell?"

The device began to glow a bright white, emitting a small electronic click just a few moments later. Removing the device from the Blue Ranger, Reviveloid examined it and let out a chuckle. "Yes…this should do nicely."

Gripping the device tightly, Reviveloid proceeded to rub it against his free hand, causing it to emit another electronic click. His right arm began to spark and the screen on its chest began to fill up with ones and zeroes of binary code.

"What's he doing?" Shawn questioned.

"Revival: Complete." An electronic voice said, as energy began to pour out of Reviveloid.

Forming into a construct of some sort next to him, it began to reshape itself until it possessed a more recognizable form…a form Colin knew all too well.

Standing right in front of him…was Burnerloid.

Looking to the Blue Ranger, the fire-themed Metaloid said, "Why howdy there, pardner!"

"But…but…how?" Colin stammered in disbelief. "I…I thought we destroyed you!"

"Ya'll did! Got me darn good, tell ya what. But now this here Reviveloid used that there scanner thingy to download yer memories of our battle and wallah! I'm back, pardner!"

"Your accent is a lot more annoying than I remember…" Colin muttered under his breath, taking a fighting stance.

Charging up energy in his flame-arm, Burnerloid discharged it in a blast of fire, which Colin promptly dodged with a front-flip.

Landing on the other side of the Metaloid, the Blue Ranger grabbed him by the sides and attempted to lift him up. Before he could do so, however, Burnerloid shook him off, causing Colin to stagger backwards as he whipped around to face him.

"Sorry, pardner, ain't gonna be that easy!" Burnerloid taunted, charging his flame-arm with more energy. "I've been upgraded since we last fought-in other words, I'm stronger than ever before and ready to kick yer ass!"

"Bring it on, tin can!" Colin roared, his visor glowing a light aqua color as his weakpoint began to kick in. The moment the glowing disappeared, he leapt into the air, lifting both arms into the air and summoning all the strength in his body. "YOU'RE STILL NO MATCH FOR MY STRENGTH!"

"I beg to differ. The stronger they are…" Burnerloid began, aiming his flame-arm upwards and firing a burst of flames at the Blue Ranger as he drifted downward. Hitting him dead on, the Metaloid watched as the teen fell to the ground with a loud thud, before finishing with, "The harder they fall!"

Groaning in pain as he rolled over and demorphed, Colin muttered, " _That's…gonna bruise, isn't it…?"_

"Colin!" Colleen exclaimed in concern for her twin brother, growing enraged at the sight of him in pain.

Before she could act on her anger, Graham held out his arm in front of her, saying, "Colleen, don't! It's too dangerous, we need to come up with a different approach!"

"If we take out Reviveloid, Burnerloid should vanish, right?" Shawn questioned.

"Worth a shot," Nate replied, brandishing his Drive Blade. "Wanna go for it?"

"I'm right behind you, bro!" Shawn hollered, whipping out his own Drive Blade and joining Nate as he ran towards Reviveloid.

"Guys, wait!" Graham shouted. "We need to do more thinking than that!"

"No need, bossman! We've got this!" Shawn replied, as he and Nate raised their weapons. Together, they swung their swords down in Reviveloid's direction.

"Big mistake, boys!" Reviveloid boomed, grabbing ahold of both their blades with his left hand and using the newfound leverage to hold the two still while he scanned them both with his scanner.

"Aw crap…" Shawn realized. "We really should've thought of that…"

"You _think_?" Nate said sarcastically, as Reviveloid rubbed the device against his right hand, causing him to spark with energy again.

"Revival: Complete!" The electronic voice from earlier announced, as two blobs of energy poured out of Reviveloid. Within moments, the two formless masses began to morph into recognizable shapes, and soon, Needleloid and Cutterloid stood before them.

"Remember _me?_ " Cutterloid taunted, looking towards Shawn as he let out a maniacal laugh.

"We meet again, Buster Gold!" Needleloid said with glee. Raising up his needle-arm, he continued, saying, "Looks like it's time for your six-month checkup!"

Taking a slow breath, Nate let out a quiet, "…Shit."

All he and Shawn could do was scream as they were both slashed across the chest by Needleloid and Cutterloid, respectively, sending them flying into the air before landing on the ground with a thud. The force was enough to demorph them both on impact.

"Guys!" Graham shouted in concern for his teammates, as Reviveloid and the other Metaloids cackled evilly. Clenching his fist, he said, "You're gonna pay for doing that to my friends!"

"I think not, Buster Red!" Reviveloid countered, gripping his scanner in his right hand. Bringing his arm up to his left shoulder before flicking his wrist forward, he launched the scanner like a boomerang.

Graham and Colleen barely had anytime to react as the scanner hurled towards them, landing on them and scanning them very quickly before flying back towards Reviveloid. The Metaloid caught it with his left hand as it returned to him, waving it back and forth in order to taunt the two.

"If you thought your odds were bad before, wait until you see this!" Reviveloid hollered, rubbing the scanner against his right hand and causing his body to spark with energy once more. Two blobs of energy poured out of his body, quickly forming into the more recognizable shapes of Tireloid and Springloid.

"Did you miss me, speedy?" Tireloid guffawed.

"Can't say I did," Graham growled, clenching his fist in anger and disgust.

Speaking up, Springloid said, "What about you, girly? Wanna play?"

"Not particularly," Colleen said, gripping her Spy-Blaster tightly.

"Enough with the formalities!" Reviveloid boomed. "Metaloids, attack!"

"Gladly!" Springloid hollered, leaping into the air and launching his spring-legs forward towards an unprepared Colleen. Reacting quickly, Graham supersped in front of her before spreading his arms as wide as they would go, blocking the girl and taking the brunt of the attack.

Stumbling slightly as a result of the impact, Graham looked upward, just in time to see Tireloid dashing towards him.

"Eat this!" The Metaloid shouted, grabbing Graham by the arm and using the leverage to flip the Red Ranger onto his back.

An audible snap could be heard as he collided with the ground, demorphing from the force of the blow. Seeing this, the Yellow Ranger gasped, a feeling of rage rising up within her.

"Graham!" She screamed in concern, as the five revived Metaloids formed up beside Reviveloid.

"If you thought they were tough to beat the first time, you ain't seen nothing, yet. With my upgrades, these Metaloids are unbreakable! You five, on the other hand…" Reviveloid began, charging up a gigantic energy blast in his hands as a terrified Colleen looked on. "…are _NOT!"_

With that, he unleashed the projectile, sending it hurtling towards the five Rangers. Soaring through the air, the blast split into three separate pieces, each one flying in a different direction.

The first one hit the ground in front of Graham and Colleen, demorphing the latter on impact and sending the two flying through the air in to an unknown area. The second collided with the ground behind Nate and Shawn, sending them hurtling through the sky and into another unknown area.

Watching as the third blast soared towards a terrified Colin, Cheetah Nick quickly transformed into his robot mode before dashing over to the Blue Ranger, scooping him up off the ground. Transforming back into his motorcycle mode, he drove as fast as he could in the opposite direction, carrying Colin to safety as the third blast shook the ground behind them.

Having seen all of this, Reviveloid let out a hearty laugh, turning to the other Metaloids before speaking.

"The fools think they've escaped our wrath, but they'll soon come to understand that it simply not the case." Lifting up his arm in the form of a signal, he continued, saying, "Go. Find them, and terminate them!"

"Gladly!" The five Metaloids said in unison, leaving the area in order to track down the Rangers.

* * *

Driving towards a nearby construction site, Cheetah Nick swerved to a halt, giving Colin time to hop off before transforming into robot mode. Making sure the coast was clear, the Buddy-Roid let out a sigh of relief, sitting down on a nearby stone slab before speaking.

"Looks like we lost 'em, huh?"

"It would appear so," Colin replied, wiping the sweat from his brow before continuing. "Thanks for saving me back there, Nick."

"No problem. My programming doesn't just restrict me to protecting Graham, y'know." Cheetah Nick said, letting out an awkward chuckle before sighing. "Speaking of Graham, I wonder if he and Colleen are alright…"

"I'm sure they're fine. Nate and Shawn, too." The Blue Ranger said reassuringly. "We'd better link back up with them as soon as possible, though, or that may no longer be the case."

"You're right." Cheetah Nick agreed. "Just give me a minute to recharge my batteries."

"I hate to break it to ya, but I don't think we _have_ a minute!" Colin hollered, pointing to the distance where Burnerloid could clearly be seen approaching their position.

Hearing this, Cheetah Nick sprang to his feet, quietly following Colin as he snuck into the partially-built building in order to hide.

* * *

On the other side of town, Nate and Shawn laid unconscious underneath an overpass.

Blinking his eyes open as he came to, Nate fixed his glasses, which had shifted, before sitting up, examining his surroundings in order to determine where he was. Looking to his left, he saw Shawn, who was snoring away next to him.

Seeing that he was okay, the Gold Ranger breathed a sigh of relief, adjusting his posture in order to rest a little bit.

He started to zone out, the sound around him being nonexistent. It wasn't long before the sound of mechanical footsteps snapped him out of his trance. When the sound grew louder and louder, panic began to rise. Feeling his heartbeat in his ears, Nate reached over and proceeded to shake Shawn, to which the Silver Ranger opened his eyes.

" _Five more minutes, Sister…_ " Shawn mumbled, not fully awake yet.

"Dude, wake up! We're in big trouble!" Nate shouted, grabbing his friend by the arm and dragging him to his feet, pulling him behind him as he started to run forward.

Coming to a little more, Shawn looked over his shoulder to see Needleloid and Cutterloid, who had spotted them and were now chasing after them at full-speed.

"Holy crap, this is bad!" He realized, eyes wide open in panic.

"Follow me! I have a plan!" Nate told him, receiving a nod in response.

* * *

" _Hey, Graham. Wake up…"_

Snapping his eyes open, Graham sat up, looking up to see Colleen standing there. Blinking a few times, he groaned in pain, as the Yellow Ranger looked at him with concern evident in her green eyes.

"Are you alright?" She asked, prompting him to quickly examine his body for any signs of injury.

"My arm…" Graham realized with a wince, spotting a small wound on his right forearm.

"That looks bad!" Colleen cried, rushing to her friend's aid.

"It's nothing…" Graham insisted, as Colleen helped him to his feet and lifted his arm over her shoulder. "I'm fine…"

"No you're not!" Colleen yelled, helping the boy walk. "You arm looks really hurt. It might even be broken."

"Leave me behind, then…" Graham grunted, causing the Yellow Ranger to stop in her tracks and give him a dirty look. "I mean it! I'm just gonna slow you down!"

"I don't care!" Colleen told him, continuing to walk with her wounded friend beside her. "I won't leave you! It's my fault you got hurt in the first place."

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is…" Colleen replied, looking down to the ground as tears begin to fall down her face. "You wouldn't have gotten hurt if you didn't try to protect me…"

"Colleen-"

"People have always gotten hurt because of me...you...Colin...and…" Colleen began, a lump forming in her throat mid-sentence. "...momma…"

"Colleen, your mom dying was _not_ your fault!" Graham said, attempting to calm her down.

"Yes it was…" The Yellow Ranger said in-between sobs.

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _C'mon, mama, please!" A younger Colleen begged from the doorway to the laundry room, where her mother was busy washing clothes._

" _Sorry, Colleen, no can do. I have a ton of laundry, and I still gotta go to the bank before it closes." Her mother told her, causing her to frown._

" _But please?" Colleen asked again, not backing down. "Just for a little bit?"_

" _I'm sorry, sweetie, but the answer's no. I just can't take you to the park today."_

" _Please…?" Colleen asked once more, giving her mother the puppy dog eyes._

 _Taking a deep breath, her mother relented, saying, "Alright. I'll take you to the park."_

" _Yes!" The young girl cheered, causing her mother to smile._

" _Go get your brother. I'm gonna grab the keys out of my bedroom," Donna said, eliciting a nod from her daughter._

" _Colin, c'mon! We're going to the park!"_

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"When I was a kid…I used to get pretty lonely." Colleen told Graham shakily, trying and failing to stop the tears from coming. "See, my dad died before Colin and I were born, so it was just us and momma. Despite that, we were a happy family…but momma had to work extra hard to support us since she was the only one. Because of that, she was usually busy…and all I ever wanted was for her to play with me."

Watching her take a deep breath as the tears threatened to fall, Graham let out a sad sigh, sensing the pain that his Yellow Ranger was experiencing in that moment.

"Day after day, I would ask her to take me to the park…but the answer was always no. She was too busy. Looking back, I understand. I know from watching Logan that it's not easy being a single parent. But back then…I didn't know that. I only saw what I wanted, and what I wanted was for her to spend some time with me." Colleen explained, pausing again before continuing. "That day was no different. Momma said she was too busy…but I wouldn't take no for an answer. I begged, and pleaded, and didn't give up until she agreed to go. It wasn't her idea, or Colin's…it was mine. And after she died, I realized…she'd still be here if it wasn't for me…"

"Colleen-"

"It was _my_ fault! _I_ killed momma! If I hadn't begged her to take me to the park, she might still be alive…same with your arm. If I hadn't of tensed up…you wouldn't have had to protect me." Colleen mumbled, as a wave of tears flowed from her eyes. She had lost the ability to hold them back at this point. "Everyone I get close to…and everyone that I hold dear…sooner or later, they all get hurt because of me!"

"Colleen, that's _not_ true!" Graham told her, looking her directly in the eye. "You were just a kid; you had no way of knowing. You can't blame your mom dying on yourself-if you do, the guilt will eat you alive!"

"What would you know about guilt?!" Colleen shouted, more tears falling down her face as she lost the last vestige of control over her emotions.

Taking a deep breath, Graham simply replied with, "I know because I…I used to blame myself, too."

Freezing in her tracks, Colleen gasped, her eyes widening in sudden realization. Forcing a smile, Graham took a shaky breath, holding back his own tears as they threatened to fall.

"When…when I first learned the truth about that day, I immediately blamed myself. I mean, even before I knew how it all really went down, I kind of thought it was my fault…but then, especially. It kept me up at night for _weeks_ …I just sat there in bed, thinking about what happened and telling myself over and over again that it was my fault, that I had done it. That I killed mom. It nearly destroyed me right then and there."

"Then what happened…?"

"I did what I always do-I prayed." Graham replied, giving her another smile, this one truly genuine. "I asked God to comfort me, and to fix the mess of emotions rising up from inside me. It took awhile, but eventually, I calmed down. And even though I was home alone, I could feel it…God, he was…he was _holding_ me. And I knew in that moment…it really wasn't my fault. Sure, it could've been prevented if I hadn't asked to go to the park…but there was nothing I really could've done that I didn't. Besides, I was just a kid. Same with you. I know you miss your mom-"

"I do…more than anything…"

"I know. I miss mine, too…but they're gone, Colleen, and they're not coming back. It's sad, and it hurts, and nothing will ever replace them in our hearts…but they're gone, and we have to live with that. We can either wallow in depression…or we can move on like they would've wanted us too." Graham said, taking one last breath before continuing with, "Our moms wanted us to _live_ , Colleen. Not sit around missing them all the time-they wanted us to actually _live_. There'll always be a void in our hearts where they used to be, but their memory lives on in us…and the only way we can ever honor their sacrifice is to keep moving forward."

"Graham…" She murmured, her heart going out to her friend and fellow Ranger in that moment.

"Now c'mon," He said, changing the subject. "Let's go find the others."

With that, the two continued on their way, moving forward in order to locate a way out of the forest they had woken up in. Unbeknownst to the two, Tireloid and Springloid had seen the entire conversation from up in the trees, and had now hopped down in order to follow them.

* * *

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Shawn questioned his Gold counterpart as they continued to run, being chased by Needleloid and Cutterloid.

"I sure hope so!" Nate hollered back, leaping inside the open door of a nearby pole barn and being quickly followed by Shawn. "How far away are they?"

Using his hyper-detection, Shawn calculated the distance between them and their pursuers, turning to Nate before replying with, "Only a few feet, give or take."

"Then it's time to act!" Nate declared, using his telekinesis to lift up several barrels inside the pole barn and throw them out the door they came in, spreading them out on the ground as the Metaloids rushed towards their position.

Watching the two robots as they tripped and fell onto their backs, Nate laughed in triumph, grabbing Shawn by the arm and pulling him behind him as he jumped back outside and continued running away.

"Haha, nice! I had a feeling they'd fall for that!"

"So did I." Nate replied, letting go of Shawn as the Silver Ranger began to match his pace. "They're nowhere near being down for the count, though, so we've gotta hurry. Let's find the others!"

Meanwhile, back at the construction site, Colin and Cheetah Nick were hiding from Burnerloid, who was searching for them. Sensing they were nearby, the Metaloid began discharging short bursts of fire from his flame-arm, using the resulting smoke in an attempt to draw them out.

"You can hide all ya want, pardners!" The robot called out in his southern accent. "Sooner or later, I'm gonna find ya!"

Hiding behind one of the pillars of the building, Colin turned his head to look at Nick, who nodded, immediately knowing what the Blue Ranger was thinking.

Catching a stray propane tank as the Buddy-Roid threw it to him, Colin rolled it towards Burnerloid, who snapped to attention immediately. Not realizing what the object rolling towards him was, Burnerloid sprayed it with fire, creating an explosion that caused the entire front half of the incomplete building to collapse on top of him.

"Yes! He fell for it!" Colin hollered, pumping his fist in excitement as Nate and Shawn ran into the area. Seeing them, he rushed out of the building, shouting, "Guys!"

"Colin! Nick! You're alive!" Shawn chirped as the two emerged from the ruined building.

"Of course we are." Colin said somewhat arrogantly, folding his arms. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"I…don't know…pardner…" Said the muffled voice of Burnerloid, as he struggled to free himself from the rubble. Rising from the ashes with a laugh, he spoke again, saying, "WAS THERE?!"

"Shit, I can't believe he actually survived that…" Colin muttered in surprise, clenching his fists and adopting a fighting stance.

Tapping his blue counterpart on the shoulder, Nate replied with, "He isn't the only one we've got to worry about. Look who just caught up with us."

Looking over his shoulder to see Needleloid and Cutterloid, Colin let out a low growl. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the odds in that moment.

"Could this get any worse?" Shawn exclaimed, just before Reviveloid warped in from out of nowhere.

"You _had_ to ask!" Nate said cynically, rolling his eyes before shifting his gaze to Colin. "What do we do?"

"The only thing we can do-stand our ground!" Colin said, brandishing his morpher. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Three-Way Morphing Sequence~**

"Let's do this!" Nate hollered as he and Shawn brandished their Drive Blades, gripping the weapons tightly before charging into battle.

"I'll call for back-up!" Colin told them, firing a few shots at Burnerloid and Reviveloid with his Spy-Blaster before pressing a button on his Transpod. "Captain Shields, this is Colin! Nate, Shawn, and I are in need of immediate back-up! Can you locate Graham and Colleen?"

* * *

"I'll sure try," Captain Shields told him over the comm-link, turning to Lieutenant Rose before saying, "Can you pinpoint their location?"

"Already on it, sir!" Lieutenant Rose hollered, typing in a series of commands on her computer terminal before turning her gaze back to him. "Graham and Colleen are currently making their way through a forest a couple of klicks away from the others. They'll be there soon…but Tireloid and Springloid are right on their tail."

"Understood," Captain Shields replied, turning his comm-link back on before saying, "Colin, Graham and Colleen are almost to your position-but they're being pursued by Tireloid and Springloid. Can you hold out for a few minutes?"

"I don't know!" Colin grunted from the other end of the comm-link, sounding tired as he slashed at Burnerloid with his Spy-Saber. "But we'll try!"

"Just hang in there!" Lieutenant Woods told him after tapping into the comm-link. "I'm sure the others will be there soon!"

* * *

Back in the forest, Graham and Colleen were slowly walking through a clearing, trying to make their way out of the wooded area they'd found themselves in. Hearing his Morphin' Brace emit a beeping sound, Graham raised his morpher to his face, activating its comm-link.

"Go for Graham,"

"Graham, this is Captain Shields." The Captain said from the other end, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Colin and the others are in trouble-they're pinned down at a nearby construction site and they need your help!"

"Roger that-we're on our way." Graham told him before hanging up. He then turned to Colleen and was about to open his mouth when a lone energy blast flew over their heads, having been fired by an unseen attacker. Looking over his shoulder to see Tireloid and Springloid, Graham panicked, saying, "Colleen, we have to hurry! Hop on, I'll use my superspeed!"

Turning to face him as Springloid fired another energy blast in their direction, Colleen replied, "No can do, your arm is hurt too badly! I have another idea!"

With that, she grabbed the boy and hoisted him onto her back, gripping him tightly before vaulting into the air using her super-agility. As she drifted back down to the ground, Colleen slammed her feet against the dirt, using them like springs to propel herself forward once more. Repeating the process over and over, she jumped across the clearing towards the construction site, while the two Metaloids chasing them continued to shoot at them.

* * *

"This…looks pretty bad, you guys," Colin said weakly, moving to dodge an attack from Reviveloid only to be flipped onto his back. Struggling back to his feet, he backed up until he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Nate and Shawn, before saying, "I don't know if we can keep going like this,"

Clapping his hands together, Reviveloid said, "Oh, finally ready to admit defeat? That's wonderful. Just drop your weapons, and your suffering will be over! Sure, we're gonna have to kill you, but that doesn't mean it can't be quick and painless!"

"Yeah, Reviveloid's right." Needleloid chimed in, raising his needle-arm and pointing it at Nate menacingly. "I can always numb you three, first!"

"That won't be necessary!" Colleen hollered as she landed next to Colin and the others, carrying Graham on her back. Waiting for her red counterpart to hop off, she looked to her twin before saying, "I started this day off crying, but I won't cry anymore!"

Clenching her fist as she brandished her Morphin' Brace, she continued by saying, "I used to blame myself for mom's death, but beating myself up over something I couldn't control won't fix anything! Now I know that the only way to honor her memory…is by doing what she'd want me to do and keep moving forward!"

"So _that's_ what this was about…" Colin realized, as Colleen turned her gaze to Graham.

"Shall we?"

"Ladies first," Graham smirked, brandishing his own Morphin' Brace before giving her a nod.

"Alright then," She replied, giving him a smile of her own as she turned to face Reviveloid. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Splitscreen Morphing Sequence~**

"Alright guys, fall in!" Graham hollered, materializing his Spy-Saber before continuing. "Savannah Hunter! Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior! Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper! Buster Yellow!"

"Rhinoceros Power! Buster Gold!"

"Stag Power! Buster Silver!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!" The five shouted in unison, as multicolored fireworks shot up into the air behind them.

Twirling his Spy-Saber in his hand before gripping it tightly, Graham spoke, saying, "Objective: Take out Reviveloid and his Metaloid minions, by any means necessary! Ready…?"

" _Nice alliteration…"_ Cheetah Nick reflected from the sidelines, as the others summoned their own weapons.

"GO!" The five hollered, splitting into two different groups in order to take on their foes.

Using his Spy-Saber, Colin rushed towards Burnerloid, slashing wildly with his right hand and using his left to throw punches. Beside him, Nate and Shawn dashed towards Needleloid and Cutterloid, locking blades with the robots and fighting for dominance.

"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Colin asked as he back-flipped away from Burnerloid, quickly being joined by his gold and silver counterparts. Seeing them nod in response, he pressed a button on his Spy-Saber, while they did the same with their Drive Blades.

Charging up a final attack, Colin hollered, "Spy-Saber: Stakeout…SLASH!"

Doing the same with their weapons, Nate and Shawn stood their ground, saying, "Drive Blade: Swerving…SLASH!"

Slashing forward towards their foes, they unleashed attacks that cut through the three like hot knives through butter.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Graham and Colleen were working in tandem, using their Spy-Blasters to fire repeatedly on Tireloid and Springloid.

"You can't hit…what you can't _see_!" Tireloid boasted, using his lightning-fast reflexes to dodge each of Graham's blasts. Seeing this, Graham steadied his grip on his weapon, intently studying Tireloid's movements before aiming directly next to where the Metaloid currently was. Firing a blast of energy just as Tireloid sped past, he hit the robot, causing him to stagger while screaming in pain. "Yowzers! That hurt, you brat!"

"That's kind of the point," Graham said while smirking under his helmet, firing another blast at Tireloid while he wasn't paying attention. Beside him, Colleen struggled to aim at Springloid, as the latter leapt repeatedly into the air using his spring-legs, appearing as if he were taunting the girl.

"You can't hit me, Yellow!" The Metaloid teased, hopping out of the way of one of her blasts. "You're gonna lose and get all of your friends killed, just like your mother!"

"That's not gonna work, Springloid! I'm smarter than that," Colleen countered, steadying her aim in order to shoot Springloid in the foot. This caused the energetic robot to topple to the ground, defeated, as she stepped closer towards him. "Now, time to make you regret ever trying that."

With that, her and Graham twisted a dial on the barrels of their Spy-Blasters, causing them to start glowing with bright, golden energy. Pointing them at their respective Metaloids, the two shouted in unison, saying, "Spy-Blaster: Snapshot…STRIKE!"

Waiting until their finishers were done charging, the two pulled the triggers, sending two beams of light flying towards their targets, who both promptly exploded in a burst of flame.

Seeing this, Shawn pumped his fist, shouting, "Alllright! We did it! We beat them!"

"Not quite," Reviveloid countered, rubbing his hands together before pointing his palms outward, unleashing waves of energy that struck the ground, reforming the five defeated Metaloids and reviving them for the second time that day.

"What…but how?" Colin questioned, thoroughly confused.

"It's the pads in his hands," Nate replied, pointing to the makeshift defibrillators on Reviveloid's palms. "If we destroy those, he won't be able to bring them back anymore."

"Well then what're we waiting for? Let's take 'em out!" Shawn hollered.

"It's not that simple, Shawn." Graham pointed out. "They're not just gonna _let_ us disable Reviveloid's one useful party trick."

"Then leave it to me," Colleen said firmly, causing the others to look at her. Turning to face them, she said, "I have a plan. Do you trust me?"

Looking to the others, who all three nodded at him, Graham turned to look at Colleen before saying, "We'll follow your lead,"

"Alright then." Colleen replied, turning back around to face the Metaloids. "Nate, Shawn! Lay down covering fire!"

"Already on it, Colleen!" Nate told her, as he and Shawn began firing at the Metaloids with their Morphin' Blasters.

"Colin, you guard me and Graham."

"Rog'!" Colin hollered, bounding in front of his red and yellow counterparts and stretching his arms out to block them.

Looking to Graham, Colleen asked him, "Can you still move your arm?"

"It kinda hurts, but I'm still fully functional," Graham informed her with a nod. "Want me to throw you in the air?"

"My thoughts exactly," Colleen told him. "Ready…"

"Set…"

"GO!" Colleen hollered, vaulting onto Graham's hands before summoning all of her strength. Using her super-agility, she vaulted into the air, gliding down towards Reviveloid with her foot jutting out in his direction. "Take this!"

Delivering a flying kick to Reviveloid's stomach, she knocked the Metaloid onto his back, before using her Spy-Blaster to fire on both of his hands, destroying the pads.

Seeing this, the robot gasped, looking up just in time to watch as the revived Metaloids faded away vanishing into thin air within mere seconds.

Recognizing the cost of his arrogance as he stumbled back up to his feet, Reviveloid took one last look at his palms before saying, "…Well, scrap."

Seeing this, Colleen let out a laugh before saying, "Not so tough now, are ya? Now…it's time to finish you once and for all! Nate, Shawn, take it away!"

"Roger that," The two replied in unison, raising their Morphin' Blasters as they charged another finishing attack. Aiming the weapons at Reviveloid, they spoke again, saying, "Morphin' Blaster: Finale…FINISH!"

With that, they pulled the triggers, launching dual energy blasts that tore straight through Reviveloid's armor, melting him down in a matter of seconds. Now nothing more than a burnt out husk, the defeated Metaloid let out one last gasp, before falling to the ground, crumpled and broken.

Standing over his remains with her hands on her hips, Colleen spoke, saying, "That's what you get,"

* * *

Having witnessed the entire battle from HQ, Captain Shields tapped into their comms, saying, "Nice work, Rangers, but you know it isn't over, yet. Get ready for a Megazord battle."

* * *

"Roger that!" The five shouted in unison, as Enter used his tendril-arms to resurrect Reviveloid from afar. Watching as the Metaloid leapt into the air and boarded a giant robot, they stood their ground, waiting for their Zords to appear before jumping up and boarding them.

Installing their different control consoles into the vehicles, the five readied themselves for the coming standoff. Pressing a series of buttons inside the cockpit of his Cheetah Zord, Graham spoke, saying, "Artillery Rush Megazord Formation: Activate!"

 **~Megazord Formation Sequence~**

"Artillery Rush Megazord: Online!" The five declared, each manning their different stations as they piloted their Megazord into battle. "Wrist-turrets, fire!"

Gripping the controls of his robot tightly as energy-bullets pinged off of its armor, Reviveloid said, "Sorry, brats. I've still got one more trick up my sleeve."

Pressing a series of buttons, the Metaloid activated new defibrillators in his robot's hands, summoning brand new, _giant_ copies of Tireloid, Burnerloid, Springloid, Needleloid, and Cutterloid that proceeded to surround the Artillery Rush Megazord on all sides before launching a series of energy-attacks at it.

Seeing this, the five rangers panicked, each pressing a series of random buttons in an attempt at evasive maneuvers. Failing to dodge the attacks, the Megazord took several bad hits, damaging its armor and causing several alarms to start blaring from the inside of its cockpit.

"Oh, no! Our armor's been torn to shreds!" Shawn exclaimed, fear evident in his voice. "If we take even one more hit, we're toast!"

"Then we've gotta end this thing right now!" Colleen replied, tightening his grip on her controls. "Let's give him everything we've got!"

"Right!" The four boys shouted in tandem, performing the necessary steps to charge their finishing attack. "Victory Blast, Charging!"

Waiting as golden beams of light began to fill the barrel of the Beetle Striker I's tank cannon, the five spoke again, saying, "Victory Blast, Away!"

With that, they launched the ball of energy, which hurtled towards Reviveloid's robot.

Acting quickly, Reviveloid maneuvered his robot's hands so that they could block the attack, saying, "Ha! Your…attack…means…noth-oh crap I fell for it again!"

Watching helplessly as the ball of energy cut straight through his defibrillators, deleting the other Metaloids, Reviveloid managed to stammer, "I'm d-dead…"

"You've got that right!" Colleen hollered as the energy ball worked its way through his robot's armor, causing it to go critical and eject Reviveloid, who fell to his death before fading away into streams of data. Seeing this, Shawn jumped up in excitement, high-fiving Nate as Colin spoke.

"Good job, sis."

Removing her helmet and saying quick "thank you" to her twin, Colleen turned to Graham, who gave her a thumbs up, before standing to his feet and folding his arms, as he typically did after a Megazord battle.

"Mission: Complete!" The Red Ranger declared, as Shawn continued to cheer.

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

Walking down the grassy hills of the graveyard with Colin at her side, Colleen stopped in her tracks the second a certain tombstone came into view. Seeing the words "Donna Voice, loving mother and widow. 6/3/1975-11/3/2006" as confirmation, the Yellow Ranger turned to her twin, who handed her a bouquet of flowers.

"You're not coming?" She asked, prompting her brother to shake his head.

"I haven't been able to visit her grave for years, now. It…brings back too many bad memories." Colin told her, giving her a small smile. "Say hi to her for me, though. Alright?"

"Got it." Colleen nodded solemnly, turning and slowly approaching her mother's grave.

Kneeling down in front of the tombstone, she cleared her throat, summoning the courage to speak.

"Hey, mom, it's me. Colleen." The girl began somewhat awkwardly, gripping the bouquet in her hands before placing it on the ground gently. "These are for you. I just came by to say hi, again. Ask how you're doing…I know you can't answer, but a small part of me hopes you can at least hear me…what's heaven like, anyway? Is it great…? Just as great as you imagined? More importantly…can Colin and I come join you up there, someday…?"

With that, she bowed her head, unable to stop as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Looking back up, she continued, saying, "I uh…I've been doing fine down here. Great, actually. I…I've made new friends, and Colin and I finally got to become Power Rangers so we can avenge you…we'll defeat Psycho soon, I promise. Anyway, I love you, mom…see you soon…"

Letting out a sad sigh as more tears streamed down her face, Colleen closed her eyes, feeling the cold wind blow through her hair. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she opened her eyes and looked up to see Graham, who looked as if he had been crying, as well.

"Hey…" Colleen said awkwardly, patting the ground next to her and waiting for her red counterpart to sit down. Looking at him, she spoke up, saying, "What're you doing here, Graham?"

"Nothing much. Just got done visiting my mom, just like you." He replied, giving her a forced smile. "It's not easy letting them go, is it?"

"Nope." Colleen said, shaking her head. "But it's like you said…we gotta stay strong."

"Right…" Graham said, taking a deep breath. Opening his mouth, he spoke once more, saying, "Y'know…I know this might be hard to believe after everything's that happened to us, but…I know for a fact that God still loves you. Colin, too."

"I know…" Colleen replied, taking a shaky breath before continuing. "It's just hard to understand, sometimes…I mean, momma was such a good person. Why'd God let her die so young…?"

"Well, I don't know. I asked my aunt the same thing, though. You wanna hear what she said?" Graham asked, eliciting a nod from his yellow counterpart. Seeing this, he continued, saying, "She told me, 'When you go into the garden looking for flowers, which ones do you choose?'"

"The most beautiful ones…" Colleen realized, letting out a bit of a laugh despite herself. "You're right…I just miss her."

"That's okay. I miss my mom, too." Graham sighed. "But I know she's in a better place, now. Same with your mom. Anyway, I know you may not feel up to it right now, but Nate and Shawn offered to take everyone to the Arcade, so if you start to feel better…"

"I'll go," Colleen said, shocking the boy. "Just let me go home and grab a shower, I feel really gross when I cry."

"Alright, then." Graham replied, standing up before holding out his hand for his yellow counterpart. Taking it, she helped herself up, and the two left the cemetery together as Enter watched from afar.

"Pfft. Human philosophy." Enter scoffed, crumpling up a rose in his hand and scattering the crushed petals in the wind as he turned to leave. "I'll never understand why humans are so poetic."

With that, he warped away, and the cold wind continued to blow as afternoon turned into early evening.

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, Graham, Colin, and Colleen can be seen in a large, gray expanse, all three of them watching a recording of their mothers' deaths with solemn looks on their faces. Out of nowhere, raindrops begin to fall, filling the screen with color as the vocals start.*)**_

 _ **~Take a breath, take a long look around before you step,**_

 _ **Cuz the tide is coming, swallowing the ground.~**_

 _ **(*Graham whips his head around desperately as water begins to fill the room, threatening to drown the three teens. Beating on the walls, he tries to break free, to no avail*)**_

 _ **~And there's no way to tell if we will drown tonight,**_

 _ **Or we'll be found tonight.~**_

 _ **(*An image of Graham, Colin, and Colleen's dead bodies drifting along in the water can be seen, only to disappear a moment later, the whole thing being revealed as a nightmare as Graham sits up in bed, screaming.*)**_

 _ **~So come in close, if the current gets us, then it get us both,**_

 _ **We can't wait here anymore.~**_

 _ **(*As Graham walks down the sidewalk, he spots Colleen off in the distance. Gazing at her longingly, he rushes over to her, only for a wall of solid energy to separate them, causing him to frown. The Vaglass come out of nowhere, storming the area and firing at them both. The two look up, realizing they have no choice but to fight.*)**_

 _ **~So if the waves come, let 'em take us,**_

 _ **As they cover you and me, and they pull us underneath.~**_

 _ **(*Graham, Colin, and Colleen rush to fight the Buglars, instantly morphing as they punch and kick the footsoldiers into submission. Seeing Enter, Graham charges him, slashing wildly. However, he is thrown onto his back by the Avatar, who walks up to him, pointing a laser pistol at his head. Demorphing, Graham grimaces, accepting his defeat.*)**_

 _ **~I hope that fate will forgive us, for tempting the sea,**_

 _ **I hope that they won't forget us!~**_

 _ **(*Graham turns to Colin and Colleen as the three are dragged into Hyperspace by Enter. No doubt, the three are to be executed for opposing the Vaglass. Bowing his head, Graham prays a desperate prayer, as Colleen looks at him, a single tear running down her cheek.*)**_

 _ **~No, we can't go back,**_

 _ **To the way it used to be.~**_

 _ **(*Waking up on the grass, Graham stands up, realizing it was all another dream. Looking to his right, he sees Colin and Colleen, the latter of the two waving him over with a smile. Taking a quick look at a picture of his mother in his pocket, Graham puts it away before joining his friends, a smile on his face despite himself. Seeing this, Colin pats him on the back, and Colleen reaches for his hand. Graham nervously takes it, squeezing it lightly as the three friends walk towards the sunset, the song ending as the camera pans away.*)**_

 ***End Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **A/N:** So, yeah…this took a lot longer than I initially expected it to. I can explain, though! See, I got really busy this summer with three separate trips (the first being a visit to my Uncle in Atlanta, the second being my final year of the OYD's Sr. High Church Camp in Buckeye Lake, and the third being North American Youth Congress 2017 in Indianapolis.), plus I recently got a job and stuff so I've been somewhat pre-occupied. For that, I must apologize. That being said, I hope you enjoyed the episode. I plan to start and hopefully finish the next one soon, and then I'll switch gears (no pun intended) and work on the next episode of the new version of Kamen Rider Gadget. I will then proceed to alternate between that story and this one until both are completed.

One more thing before I sign off-I won't be updating as much as I used to, anymore. I know, I know, fanfiction is awesome, and I _looove_ writing chapters for you guys, but I have a job now as well as plans to find my calling (as you may've noticed, I'm starting to take my religion a lot more seriously), so I can no longer devote 100% of my time to stories like I used to. That being said, I still have a _huge_ passion for story-telling, and will continue to work on this story until its completion. My updates will just be a little less frequent than they were prior to now.

With that said, we've pretty much dealt with all the post-chapter shenanigans, now. The only thing I really have left to say is review if you feel like it, and stay tuned for the next one. I'll be keeping you all in my prayers. Stay safe out there! Peace-xXRocketShark216Xx, the Introverted, _Apostolic_ Power Rangers Fan :)

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** _Colin and Shawn step into a teleporter in order to make it to HQ in time for patrol, only for it to malfunction, stranding them in the middle of the Antarctic! Finding a seemingly abandoned outpost amidst the barren, snowy drifts, they enter inside only to discover its dark secret-it's full of Vaglass activity! Can the two work together to find out what's going on, while Captain Shields and the others struggle to bring them back home? Find out, in_ **Episode 11: Malfunction!**


	11. Ep 11: Malfunction

**A/N:** Hey everyone, I'm back with episode eleven. I don't really have much to say, so let's dive right in, shall we? I'll see you all in the second author's note, so until then, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

It had been a couple of days since the battle with Reviveloid. Now it was Monday, and the Rangers were at school, where it was currently 7th period. Eventually, the bell rang, effectively signifying the end of both said period and the school day as a whole.

Standing up from his seat in the school's band room, Graham carefully disassembled his clarinet before packing it back into its case. Closing and locking the case, he placed it on the floor temporarily while he slung his messenger bag over his shoulder, after which he scooped the former back up, carrying it in his right hand as he exited the band room and entered into the hallway. Colleen and Nate were quick to follow, walking alongside the boy before splitting up in order to stop at their respective lockers.

"Well, that's one more school day in the bag," Graham said as he opened his locker, depositing his clarinet case inside along with all the other books he no longer needed. Making sure he had the ones he _would_ need, he shut the locker door and locked it back up before turning to Colleen, who had already finishing putting her extra books and flute case away. "It's almost time for afternoon patrol. Where are Colin and Shawn?"

"Hey guys…" Colin grumbled as he approached the two, the grin that he usually wore at the end of a school day having been replaced by a deep scowl. "I'm not gonna be able to make patrol today."

"And why is that?" Colleen asked, as her and Graham turned to face their blue counterpart.

"I…kinda have detention…" Colin told him, rubbing the back of his head somewhat awkwardly. "Turns out Mr. Pritchett doesn't take too kindly to people who crack jokes during choir practice."

"Well, that's kind of a funny coincidence." Nate replied from behind him, putting away his trombone case and extraneous books before shutting and locking his locker. "I heard Shawn got detention today, too."

"Well, guess you guys'll just have to check in at HQ later." Graham replied, turning to follow Colleen and Nate as they walked towards the exit. "See ya later, man."

"Yeah, see ya," Colin mumbled, watching the three leave as Shawn walked up beside him. Turning to the newcomer, he spoke, saying, "So, you have detention, too?"

"Yep. I got caught doing the 'earbuds through the sleeve' trick in Biology." Shawn said with a laugh, flashing his blue counterpart a proud grin. "What about you? What're you in for?"

"I made fun of this guy in Choir when his voice cracked during his big solo." Colin said with a laugh. This laugh went on for a few seconds, before slowing to a halt. The Blue Ranger then let out a sigh, before finishing with, "Everyone thought it was pretty funny…except for the Choir Director, anyway. Turns out he's not very fond of comedians."

"Go figure," Shawn said with a shrug, as the two turned and walked to the other end of the hall, where the detention room was. Opening the door and holding it open for his blue counterpart, Shawn teased him by saying, "Ladies first?"

"In that case, _you_ should go first," Colin joked right back, lightly shoving Shawn inside in a move that elicited a laugh from the Silver Ranger. Seeing this, the woman who ran detention gave him a glare, prompting both boys to awkwardly chuckle. "H-Hey Mrs. Clarke…h-happy to see me…?"

Receiving no response, Colin reached into his pocket and procured his detention slip, which he set on the teacher's desk before walking towards the back, where he took a seat.

" _Guess not…"_ The boy muttered, as Shawn took a seat right next to him. " _This is gonna be a lonnng two hours…"_

" _Eh, could be worse,"_ Shawn whispered, gesturing over to a few desks ahead of him, where Matthew Holmes had a younger boy in a headlock. " _You could be THAT guy."_

" _True that,"_ Colin said, stifling a laugh as he watched the spectacle. _"This still blows, though."_

* * *

"Well, thank god _that's_ over," Colin said as he and Shawn practically burst out the front doors of the school, having served their two hours of detention.

"I know, right?" Shawn said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder while Colin reached up to adjust his glasses with his thumb. "Now we can _finally_ get ready for patrol!"

"Yeah, if there's even any sectors left to patrol," Colin scoffed, furrowing his eyebrows as they crossed the street and made their way into the downtown area. "I'll bet Graham and the other two have already covered everything."

"You're being a little negative, don't you think? After all, if they've patrolled everywhere already, that just means we can go home sooner!" Shawn pointed out. "Now c'mon, let's hit the nearest teleporter and wrap things up for the day, my new videogame is calling my name."

With that, the two quickened their pace, ducking into a nearby alley where a large dumpster and old phone booth sat. Opening the door to the phone booth, Shawn repeated the joke from earlier, saying, "Ladies first?"

Rolling his eyes, Colin replied with, "Yeah yeah, whatever. I'll go first."

Stepping into the phone booth, Colin stood still as a scanner popped out of nowhere and began scanning him, breaking down his molecular structure and turning it into data which it then sent through the teleportation network. Seeing the Blue Ranger disappear, Shawn made sure no one else was watching before stepping in after him, standing perfectly still as the teleporter essentially repeated the process.

Unbeknownst to Shawn, the second before he vanished the scanning mechanism of the teleporter sparked, and a small electronic voice said the word, "Error", indicating some kind of malfunction.

* * *

Sure enough, the second Shawn re-materialized on the other side of the teleporter, he noticed something was wrong. For starters, he wasn't at HQ.

 _Come to think of it…I'm not ANYWHERE_. Shawn thought to himself as he surveyed his surroundings, or _lack_ thereof-he seemed to be standing in a blank, white void of nothingness. Focusing harder, he could see a faint hint of a blue sky overhead, accompanied by the tiniest glare from the sun. This disproved his earlier theory that he wasn't _anywhere_ , as he was clearly still on Earth, somewhere.

Hearing the sound of fierce wind and feeling a wave of shivering cold all over his body, Shawn determined he was somewhere cold, and filled with snow.

Spotting Colin crouched down on the ice with his arms wrapped around his body, he managed to speak, stammering out the words, "C-C-C-CV...? Are you o-o-okay…?"

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah, but not for l-l-long…" Colin shivered. "Where the h-h-hell are we…?"

"I d-d-don't know…"Shawn told him, as the cold winds continued to howl. "But it's c-cold…"

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**_

 _ **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**_

 _ **(*Shots of all five Rangers flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, Colleen is riding a bike, Nate is writing something in a journal, and Shawn is playing a handheld videogame console. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**_

 _ **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**_

 _ **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**_

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 _ **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**_

 _ **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**_

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist as the others follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, with the other four quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the five spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 _ **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*A shot of the five Rangers piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot is shown. Gripping the controls, they each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**_

 _ **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show Graham and the others standing side by side, all five of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the five instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, they all rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 11: Malfunction**

 _Meanwhile, back in Starview Heights…_

"Well, that takes care of this sector." Graham remarked to himself as he drove his Cheetah Zord down the streets of the city, searching for any signs of Vaglass activity. Activing his Transpod in order to access the comm-link, he addressed the others, saying, "Colleen, Nate, what about you guys?"

"Everything seems normal in my sector," Colleen told him as she flew her Rabbit Zord around on the other side of town. "Nothing out of the ordinary, here."

"Same goes for my sector, Graham." Nate added as he patrolled the outskirts of the city in the Beetle Striker I. "The Vaglass are nowhere to be seen."

"Guess we're in the clear, then." Graham replied, turning off his Transpod before shifting his gaze towards Cheetah Nick, who was naturally in his Console Mode. "Ready to go home, Nick?"

"You bet," The Buddy-Roid said, his face lighting up on the console as Graham turned the Cheetah Zord around in order to head back to base. Driving towards an abandoned parking garage a few miles away, the Red Ranger pressed a couple of buttons overhead, causing the ground in front of the Zord to open up to reveal a secret GPU hangar of sorts. Driving the Cheetah Zord inside, he detached Cheetah Nick from the main console before hopping out, demorphing as he landed in front of a group of GPU Cadets.

"Try not to scratch the paint," He joked as he passed the soldiers, heading to a teleporter in the corner of the room. Once he reached it, he stepped inside, causing it to scan him before warping him to HQ.

"Recognized: Graham, B-06." The digital voice of the AI that controlled the GPU's computer network announced, as Graham materialized inside of the Common Area of their headquarters.

Stepping out of the teleporter, Graham turned around just as Colleen warped in behind him, being quickly followed by Nate. Coming over the intercom once more, the digital voice announced their arrival, as the two strode over to join their friend.

"Recognized: Colleen, B-05."

"Recognized: Nate, B-07."

Seeing this, Graham turned back around and began walking towards the Command Room, with his two friends quickly joining him.

"That's weird…" Colleen observed as she looked around, searching for signs of her twin. "Colin doesn't seem to be anywhere around here."

"Shawn isn't here, either." Nate said. "Maybe they're both on patrol?"

"No, Captain Shields probably would've told us if they'd checked in already." Graham pointed out. "At the very least, one of them would've shot us a text."

"True…" Nate agreed, stroking his chin. "Do you think maybe they skipped patrol and just headed home, instead?"

"No, that can't be right." Colleen disagreed, shaking her head. "Colin's a slacker, but he'd never skip something as important as patrol. As far as Shawn goes, I haven't known him very long, but I know for a fact he'd never skip, either. Neither of them are like that."

"They're probably just taking a while to get here, that's all." Graham suggested. "After all, it _is_ a pretty busy day. They're probably having trouble finding a teleporter that doesn't have a bunch of potential witnesses surrounding it."

"Good point," Nate told him. "Anyway, we should hurry up and report to the Command Room. Captain Shields doesn't appreciate tardiness."

"He also doesn't appreciate Rangers with misplaced priorities," Lieutenant Rose chimed in as she walked up to them, a concerned look on her face. "We have a situation."

"What kind of situation?" Colleen questioned.

"I think it'll be easier if I just show you…" Lieutenant Rose replied rather vaguely, causing Graham and Colleen to exchange confused looks as she turned around and started walking towards the Command Room.

* * *

"Ah, there you are." Captain Shields said in acknowledgement as Graham and the others stepped inside the Command Room, being accompanied by Lieutenant Rose. "I know you just got back from patrol, but your debriefing will have to wait. We have a situation on our hands."

"So we've been told," Graham replied with a nod. "What exactly is going on?"

"We're not exactly sure what caused it," Captain Shields began, pausing in order to bring up a holographic image of what appeared to be a map of Starview Heights. On it, all of the GPU's hidden teleporters were marked-the majority of them were colored green, while a dozen or so were colored red. "But about a half hour ago, there was some kind of system error in our teleportation network. We ran a full scan of the city, and only the ones marked in red have been affected. Several cadets have experienced strange side effects as a result of using these teleporters, such as delayed arrivals, motion sickness, and temporary loss of vision."

"Weird…" Nate said quietly, furrowing his eyebrows in intrigue.

"Just to be safe, we've ordered all GPU personnel not to use the teleporters until we've fixed the problem." Captain Shields told them. "Anyway, I just wanted to inform you of the situation. If the problem isn't fixed by the time curfew rolls around, I'll escort you three home via the emergency exit. We wouldn't want you to experience any of the symptoms."

"Sir, you might wanna take a look at this," Lieutenant Woods said out of nowhere, his tone carrying a hint of urgency.

"What is it?" The Captain asked, stepping out of his own chair and walking over to the Lieutenant's station in order to look at his computer screen. Studying the readout on the terminal, he spoke again, saying, "Colin and Shawn used one of the malfunctioning teleporters? What're their side effects, then?"

"It's…not quite that simple, sir." The Lieutenant said slowly, seeming rather reluctant. "The teleporter…it didn't send them here."

"What do you mean, it didn't send them here?" Captain Shields questioned, raising his voice slightly. "Where are they, Martin?!"

"I…don't know," Lieutenant Woods admitted.

"Well, figure it out!" Captain Shields ordered, growing frantic and somewhat angry. "Two of my Rangers are out there somewhere, and one of them happens to be my son! Find them!"

"Calm down, Captain. We won't find them anytime soon if we panic." Lieutenant Rose pointed out, sticking up for her fellow Lieutenant by attempting to calm their commanding officer down.

"Lieutenant Rose is right, Logan." Colleen told her surrogate father, patting him on the shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "Panicking won't solve anything."

"I…I know. I'm sorry, Colleen." The Captain apologized, giving his surrogate daughter a small smile despite himself. Looking to Lieutenant Woods, he spoke up, saying, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Martin. Just please help me find my son."

"Don't worry, I will."

"We all will." Graham chimed in, giving the Captain a reassuring smile. "Colin is our teammate, and Colleen's brother. We'll do anything to find him."

"Yeah, what Graham said." Colleen agreed, giving her red counterpart an appreciative grin.

"I'll help, too." Nate added. "After all, Colleen isn't the _only_ one whose brother is missing right now."

"Thank you, Rangers." Captain Shields said, taking a deep breath before sitting back down in his chair. "That means a lot to me."

"Don't worry about it," Lieutenant Woods replied, typing in a series of commands on his computer terminal in order to bring up a holographic map of the Earth. "Now…let's figure out how to find them."

* * *

"I t-think…we're gonna…f-freeze to d-death…" Colin managed to say through grit teeth, his arms wrapped tightly around his body in a vain attempt to warm himself up.

"D-Don't g-give up y-yet…" Shawn told him. "I have an i-i-idea…"

Reaching into his backpack, the Silver Ranger procured his Morphin' Brace, struggling to keep ahold of it with his numb fingers. Realizing what Shawn was thinking, Colin brandished his own Morpher, and together, the two activated them while speaking in unison.

"I-Install: S-Spy-B-B-Busters!"

* * *

Back at HQ, Lieutenant Woods was in the middle of an extensive scan of the planet when he suddenly snapped his head up, startling Captain Shields. Looking to his subordinate with a look of concern on his face, the Captain said, "Is something wrong, Lieutenant?"

"No, nothing's wrong. In fact, it's quite the opposite-we just received a signal from the Morphing Grid!"

"Morphing Grid?" Graham and Nate asked in unison, both looking equally confused.

"The Morphing Grid. It's the source of every Ranger's power." Colleen explained, pausing for a moment before elaborating. "It's a sort of parallel dimension that houses limitless amounts of energy. When someone with a link to the Grid morphs, they're transported there for a split second and their body absorbs some of that energy in order to turn it into armor. Before you even realize you're gone, you show back up on the battlefield morphed and ready to fight. Captain Shields established a link to the Grid in order to initiate Project: Buster, so whenever one of us morphs the Grid sends a signal to HQ."

"So that means…Colin and Shawn just morphed!" Nate realized. "We can trace their location using their Morpher signals!"

"Exactly." Lieutenant Woods replied, as he continued to type away at his station. "Except…they're too far out of range. The only information I can gather is that they're somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere…"

"Southern Hemisphere? There's like, six continents down there; it'll take forever to narrow it down!" Graham exclaimed.

"Well, we'd better start narrowing it down," Nate replied, pulling out his laptop and using his hacking abilities to access the GPU's mainframe.

* * *

"Well, that takes care of that problem," Colin said as he and Shawn instantly morphed. The Blue Ranger let out a sigh of relief as his suit's heating system began the process of warming him up before saying, "Still doesn't explain where the hell we are, though…"

"Well, we do know one thing for sure!" Shawn said rather enthusiastically. "Wherever we are, it's _cold_!"

"Gee, I didn't notice." Colin said sarcastically, rolling his eyes inside his helmet. Waving his silver counterpart over, he continued, saying, "C'mon, let's get to higher ground. Try to make some sense of all this."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Shawn said in a chipper tone, giving his blue counterpart a mock-salute as he trudged his way over to him. Once they linked up, the two pushed their way towards a nearby hill, which they proceeded to climb their way up to the top of before stopping to survey their surroundings.

"It looks…cold. White, and cold…" Colin observed, somewhat frustrated at the lack of landmarks around him.

"Maybe we're in Alaska?" Shawn suggested.

"Nah, there aren't any igloos," Colin joked, causing his friend to snicker slightly. "In all seriousness, though, if this _were_ Alaska, we'd at least see some sign of civilization, like some back roads, a small town, something like that."

"True…" Shawn replied in agreement, as he picked up on sound of some sort in the distance. Tapping Colin on the shoulder, he said, "CV, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Colin questioned, focusing until he picked on the noise. "Yeah, it kinda sounds like some kind of…animal."

"That's weird…it's like below freezing, here. What animal could survive in this type of climate?"

Turning his head just in time to see a polar bear barreling towards them, Colin looked to Shawn and screamed, "RUN!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Shawn said as he hopped off the ridge and dashed forward, being cut off by Colin as he hopped down and stretched his arm out in front of him.

"Not that way, you idiot! You're heading right for the ice!" Colin reprimanded, grabbing his silver counterpart by the arm and dragging him off in the opposite direction, towards a large, wooden building of some sort. "We'll hide in there!"

"What?!" Shawn screeched as he and Colin burst through the front door, the latter stopping to slam and lock it closed. "What if the bear breaks the door down?!"

"It's better than drowning!" Colin pointed out, using his superstrength to grab a couch on the other side of the room and drag it in front of the door in order to barricade it. Pointing to Shawn's Transpod, he said, "We need to get out of here, now! Call HQ!"

"I'm on it!" Shawn told him, pressing a button on his Transpod in order to activate it. He then proceeded to speak into it, saying, "Captain Shields, this is Shawn! Colin and I tried to teleport to HQ but ended up somewhere else entirely! We're stranded somewhere cold and snowy, and there's a polar bear trying to eat us! Do you read me?"

Hearing nothing but static, Shawn turned to Colin and shook his head, causing the Blue Ranger to sigh in frustration.

"Looks like we're screwed," Colin lamented, before spotting a running heater on the other side of the room. "On the bright side, we can demorph, now."

"Good idea." Shawn replied, and the two pressed a button on their respective morphers, demorphing in a matter of moments. "Hey, look!"

Watching Shawn as he walked to the other side of the room, Colin folded his arms as the Silver Ranger reached his destination, a coat rack in the corner where several fur coats were hung up.

"These'll come in really handy when we go back outside," Shawn said as he grabbed one of the coats, tossing it to Colin before taking one for himself. Putting it on, he continued, saying, "How lucky is that?"

Crossing the room in order to join him, Colin slipped on his coat and said, "I gotta admit, that _is_ pretty lucky. Seems weird that no one else is here, though."

"Yeah that _is_ a little weird, isn't it?" Shawn agreed, before something else caught his eye. "Hey, look at that!"

 _This guy has the attention span of a small child…_ Colin thought to himself, as Shawn stepped over to a nearby bookshelf and began looking at the books.

"Hey CV, come check these books out! Some of them look really interesting…like this one!" The Silver Ranger said with child-like enthusiasm, reaching out to grab one of the books before trying to pull it out. Hearing a strange metal click as the book tilted diagonally forward, he spoke again, saying, "Oh, wait a minute, this isn't a book at all…"

"What did you just do…?" Colin asked, as the room began to rumble and the floor beneath them began to lower. Watching as the makeshift elevator began to descend down into the earth, the Blue Ranger folded his arms before saying, "You just _had_ to pull it…"

"How was Isupposed to know it would do that?"

"I don't know! I just know that this situation just keeps getting worse and worse!" Colin shouted, taking a deep breath before continuing with, "This is the worst day of my life…"

"Yeah, this definitely isn't an ideal after-school activity…" Shawn said rather awkwardly, prompting Colin to roll his eyes.

* * *

Looking up from his desk, Lieutenant Woods spoke, saying, "Well, I've contacted GPU agents in South America, Africa, and Asia. None of them can locate Colin and Shawn on their radars."

"I just got off the phone with Captain Donovan in Australia. He can't find any sign of them, either." Lieutenant Rose replied. "He ordered his men to form search parties, but their efforts can only go so far. Especially with the teleportation grid on the fritz."

"That just leaves New Zealand and Antarctica." Colleen chimed in, looking around before speaking again. "Has anyone seen Graham?"

"I saw him duck into another room a few minutes ago," Nate told her, adjusting his glasses with his thumb. "Think he's in there praying or something."

"Aw, that's a really good idea." Colleen replied. "Maybe we should join him."

"No thanks. I…don't like to pray in front of other people." Nate admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh. Okay then," Colleen said with a shrug, leaving the room in order to join Graham in prayer.

Looking up from his desk, Captain Shields was just in time to see Nate perform a silent version of the "Hail Mary" prayer, which prompted the commanding officer to grin slightly despite himself. Reaching for a picture of himself, Colin, Colleen, and Sonia, the Captain grabbed it and examined it closely, a worried look forming on his face.

 _I'm gonna find you guys…_ The Captain thought to himself, determined to find the Blue Ranger and his silver counterpart. _I promise…_

* * *

As the elevator continued to make its way underground, Colin and Shawn waited in silence, staring at the icy walls surrounding them as they descended deeper and deeper into the earth. Eventually, the ice was replaced by glass, and they started to spot several corridors, stairwells, and rooms below, making up some sort of complex.

"What…is it this place?" Shawn questioned, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion as the elevator continued downward. "It looks like a lab…"

"Judging by that sign, it probably is," Colin replied, gesturing over to a sign on the glass wall that read 'Laboratory 5'. "Question is, who built it?"

Waiting until the elevator reached the bottom of the shaft, Colin and Shawn watched as a set of metal doors slid open, granting them access to the lab's lobby. Stepping out into the cold, metal room, the Blue and Silver Rangers' eyes were drawn to one thing, and one thing only.

" _We_ did…" Shawn realized, staring at a worn GPU logo on the front desk.

"Strange…I don't see any GPU personnel here." Colin observed, quickly reassessing their surroundings in order to confirm this fact. "And this place looks like it's falling apart."

"Maybe it's abandoned?" Shawn suggested, prompting Colin to shrug his shoulders somewhat. "That would explain why no one's here, and why it's so-"

"Quiet," Colin said out of nowhere, shushing the boy. Listening in closely, the two heard the faint sound of metallic footsteps, which seemed to be getting closer and closer. His eyes widening in realization, Colin spoke again, saying, "We aren't alone!"

Grabbing Shawn by the wrist and dragging the boy behind him, Colin ran through a door to their left, which led into a long corridor. Making their way through said corridor, the two boys stopped in their tracks when they heard more noise coming from the end of the hall. Realizing they were in danger of being found, Colin ducked into a nearby alcove, pulling his silver counterpart in with him and placing his hand over his mouth in order to keep him quiet as the noise got louder and louder.

Making their way down the corridor, a squadron of Buglars scanned every inch of the hall, searching for signs of intruders. Sweat trickled from Colin's forehead as one of the Buglars stopped right in front of the alcove, taking a quick peek at the other side of the room as the others continued on without him.

Looking as if it knew it was being watched, the Buglar started to turn around, causing Colin to reach up and grab the robotic footsoldier. Dragging it down to the ground as quietly as he could, Colin used his superstrength to silently dispatch the Buglar, before pulling its deactivated corpse into the alcove with him as the rest of the squadron moved on. Seeing that the coast was clear, Colin quietly exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow as the door to the corridor slid shut behind them.

" _That was a close one…"_ Shawn whispered, his heart beating a mile a minute as a result of the encounter " _What are they doing here, anyway?"_

" _It's like you said, this place is abandoned."_ Colin replied, studying both sides of the corridor intently in order to make sure the coast was really clear. Once he was sure, he emerged from the alcove, motioning for Shawn to follow as he continued with, " _The Vaglass must've found it and decided to use it to conduct their own experiments or something."_

" _That makes sense. After all, the GPU would never think to look in an old lab they don't even use anymore."_ Shawn agreed, following Colin as he walked to the other side of the corridor. Together, the two waited for the metal door at the end to slide open, before sneaking through it into the next room. " _I wonder what they're making here…"_

Carefully peeking his head over a nearby railing in order to get a good look at a Metaloid on the level below, Colin said, _"I don't know…but we're in waaay over our head right now."_

Looking up and spotting the two, the Metaloid signaled to a nearby Buglar, who proceeded to press a button on a nearby wall in order to sound the alarm. Seeing that their cover was blown, Colin grabbed Shawn by the arm and dashed towards the end of the room they were in, lifting his Morphin' Brace to his mouth while he ran.

"Captain Shields, this is Colin!" The Blue Ranger shouted into the comm-link, as he desperately tried to reach headquarters. "Come in, Captain!"

* * *

Back at HQ, Graham and Colleen had just re-entered the Command Room, having finished their prayer. Nate was fully absorbed in his laptop, which he was using in an attempt to pinpoint Colin and Shawn, and the two Lieutenants were using their connections to search New Zealand for any signs of the missing rangers. All the while, Captain Shields sat in his station, staring at his monitor with a look of sheer determination on his face.

This continued on for about five minutes, with none of them experiencing any real luck. Then, out of nowhere, a crackling sound could be heard, as an incredibly faint transmission began emitting itself from the comm-link.

" _Captain…come in…Captain…"_ A voice that the Captain immediately recognized as Colin's could be heard saying, with bits of static and white noise making it hard to make out exactly what he was saying. " _Shawn and I…bit of a…situation…"_

Grabbing his mouthpiece as tightly as he could, Captain Shields practically yelled into it, saying, "Colin, is that you? Speak up!"

" _I'm…trying…but…signal's…weak. There was…a glitch…teleporter…sent us-"_

"-to a completely different place, I know. The entire teleportation grid is on the fritz right now." Captain Shields said, cutting him off. "Listen, we've been trying to find you for the better part of two hours, now. Do you have any idea where you are?"

" _No…but I might…have a lead…"_ Colin told him. " _We found an elevator…took us down to some sort of abandoned…GPU lab…crawling with…Vaglass…"_

"Vaglass? In an abandoned GPU facility? _Clever bastards…_ " Captain Shields said, muttering the last bit under his breath. "Is that your only lead?"

" _No sir. We saw something…on the way down. There was a sign that…said something about…Laboratory Five."_

"Lab Five?" Captain Shields questioned. "Isn't that in-"

"Antarctica," Lieutenant Rose confirmed, looking up from her station in order to give the Captain a nod.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Lieutenant Woods asked. "Let's bring 'em home!"

"You heard 'em, Graham. I want you, Colleen and Nate loaded up and ready to go in ten minutes. Take the Rabbit Zord." Captain Shields ordered the Red Ranger, who gave him a salute before leaving with his yellow and gold counterparts. Turning his attention back to the comm-link, Captain Shields addressed Colin once more, saying, "Alright, Colin, we've figured out where you are, and help is on the way. I've sent Graham and the others to come get you, but in order for that to happen you need to find a way to the surface. Do you understand?"

" _Yes."_ Colin replied from the other end of the comm-link, before the signal abruptly cut off.

"Good." Captain Shields said, seemingly to himself. _"Let's hope this works…_ "

* * *

"You heard the man, Shawn. We gotta get back above-ground." Colin said before glancing over at his silver counterpart, who was being oddly quiet. "What's wrong?"

"Look," Shawn replied quietly, pointing to the other side of the room. Following the Silver Ranger's gaze, Colin spotted the Metaloid from earlier, who had now made his way up to their level.

" _Well…shit."_ Colin muttered under his breath, clenching both fists as he adopted a fighting stance.

"So, you two are the intruders, huh? I should've guessed as much," The Metaloid, who appeared to have somewhat of an ice motif, remarked, folding his arms as he addressed the two. "Judging by those things you're wearing, you're probably both Rangers."

"Excellent observation," Colin said sarcastically, as Buglars began to surround him and Shawn. "And you are?"

"I'm not incredibly keen on divulging that information, but I suppose it'd be rude to eliminate you without introducing myself, first. I am Freezerloid." The Metaloid said with a slight bow, feigning politeness. Gesturing over to one of the Buglars, he continued, saying, "Dispose of the vermin,"

"Vermin? That's not very nice, now is it?" Colin quipped. Turning to Shawn, he proceeded to ask, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I don't know. What _are_ you thinking?"

"Never mind, just follow my lead,"

With that, Colin took a step towards a nearby Buglar, faking like he was going to attack it before pulling back at the last second. This action confused said Buglar, who stood and waited as Colin repeated this maneuver, confusing it even further. After a third time, the Buglar finally got fed up, raising its weapon and swinging it down towards the Blue Ranger in an attempt to strike.

Seeing this, Colin grabbed ahold of the robotic footsoldier's wrist, before using his superstrength to lift the Buglar over his head and throw it at the others, bowling them all over in one fell swoop. Giving a Shawn a quick nod, he turned and ran in the other direction, with the Silver Ranger following closely behind him.

Now enraged, Freezerloid yelled at the downed robots, saying, "Get up, you idiots! Now, after them! They cannot be allowed to leave this facility alive!"

Meanwhile, Colin and Shawn were barreling down the hallway, running as fast as they could in an effort to get away.

Using his hyper-detection to avoid a blast from Freezerloid's ice cannon, Shawn turned to Colin and said, "We gotta get out of here!"

"Actually, what we really need to do is hide for a minute and figure out where we're going!" Colin countered, grabbing Shawn by the arm and dragging him over to a nearby door. "In here!"

With that, he opened the door and dove inside, waiting until Shawn entered in behind him before standing back up and slamming the door. After Shawn searched the room to make sure it was clear, Colin used his superstrength to knock over a bookshelf and set it in front of the door, effectively barricading the two inside.

Taking a deep breath, the Silver Ranger spoke up, saying, "Where _are_ we going, anyway?"

"I don't know…but _this_ should tell us." Colin told him, gesturing over to a nearby computer terminal. Taking a seat in the chair in front of it before typing a series of commands into it via the keyboard, he continued by saying, "Give me a second, I'll pull up a map of the lab."

Searching through the different files on the computer, Colin was about to pull up the map, when a certain icon caught his eye.

"Project: FORTIFY…? What's that…?" He mumbled to himself, clicking on the folder in order to open up. When a new window appeared asking him for a password, he took a deep breath before saying, "Guess we'll never know."

"Not necessarily," Shawn said as he looked over Colin's shoulder, an idea forming in his head. "Stand up for a sec."

"Sure," Colin said somewhat awkwardly, scooting the chair away from the desk before standing up and allowing Shawn to take his place. Watching as the Silver Ranger scooted back closer to the desk and began typing in a series of seemingly random commands into the keyboard, he spoke again, saying, "What exactly are you doing?"

"Hacking," Shawn told him nonchalantly, continuing to type away as the Blue Ranger looked on.

"Oh…wait, isn't that more or less Nate's thing?"

"Yes and no. He's a lot better at it, but he's spent a lot more time practicing and reading up on it. I know the basics, that's pretty much it." Shawn explained, as a digital clicking sound emitted itself from the computer. "Thankfully, the security system on this computer wasn't very advanced. This lab must run on pretty outdated tech…anyway, we're in."

"What're you waiting for, then?" Colin questioned. "Open the folder."

"Oh. Right." Shawn said, rubbing the back of his head before clicking on the folder in order to open it. Closely examining the documents inside, he spoke again, saying, "Well that's interesting…they're experimenting with different kinds of materials for robots. I wonder why they're doing that."

"It's because they're trying to strengthen the Buglars and Metaloids, you dolt." Colin pointed out, flicking the Silver Ranger on the forehead. "We have to inform Captain Shields."

"We should probably download the files, then." Shawn suggested. "You got a flash drive?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Colin told him, reaching into the pocket of his jeans and pulling out a memory stick, which he then handed to Shawn. "Work your magic, dude."

"Already on it," Shawn replied, grabbing the flash drive from Colin and proceeding to insert it into one of the terminal's USB ports. Right-clicking on the files, he told the computer to copy them onto the flash drive, which caused a loading bar to appear on screen. "Downloading now."

"How long will it take?" Colin questioned, as a group of Buglars began banging on the door from the other side. "We kinda have company."

"I'm going as fast as I can. I already told you, this computer's pretty crappy."

"You're telling me! If it was going any slower, I'd think it was loading up AOL!" Colin said with a hint of panic in his voice. Rushing to the other side of the room, he continued, saying, "Just tell me when it's done. I'm gonna find us another way out of here."

Spotting an air vent towards the top of the back wall, Colin used his superstrength to grab onto a nearby filing cabinet, which he proceeded to slam on the ground in front of said vent. Using his powers to tear the cover off of the vent, he turned to Shawn, who was finishing up the process of transferring the files.

"Alright, it's done!" Shawn exclaimed as the download completed, reaching for the flash drive in order to remove it from the terminal before grabbing ahold of the mouse again. "Now to delete the files from the mainframe so the Vaglass can't use the data…"

"There's no time!" Colin told him, prompting Shawn to reluctantly stand up and rush over towards the vent.

Climbing up after the Blue Ranger as the Buglars continued to beat down the door, Shawn pocketed the flash drive just as the footsoldiers managed to break inside.

"We never got to download that map," Shawn realized as they crawled through the vents, trying to find their way back to the surface.

"We'll find another way to get topside." Colin told him, even though deep down he still wasn't sure if they were gonna make it. "I know we will."

"But what if we don't?" Shawn asked him, prompting Colin to stop dead in his tracks. "What if we die here?"

Taking a moment to think of his friends, his family, and then finally, Sonia, Colin clenched his fist, before saying, "We've got too much to live for to think like that now! Now let's get a move on!"

"Yes sir!" Shawn replied, feeling inspired by the Blue Ranger's words as they continued to crawl through the vents.

* * *

"We're approaching the coordinates now," Colleen informed Graham and Nate, as she flew the Rabbit Zord closer and closer towards the site where Lab 5 was located. Turning around to look at them, she continued, saying, "You guys ready to roll?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Graham said from the front seat of Cheetah Nick's motorcycle mode, using his Morphin' Brace to instantly transform into Buster Red. Looking behind him where Nate was sitting on the back of the motorcycle, he said, "What about you?"

Using his Morphin' Blaster to instantly morph into Buster Gold, Nate grabbed onto Graham's shoulders, before saying, "Let's go save our friends!"

With that, Colleen lowered the Rabbit Zord, and Graham proceeded to drive out the back hatch with Nate riding along. The rescue was underway.

* * *

Back in Laboratory Five, Colin and Shawn had made their way through the air ducts and had now come up on the end. Squinting his eyes in order to peek through the grates of the vent cover in front of him, Colin watched as a large group of Buglars scrambled around, seemingly in a panic as they searched for the two missing intruders.

"I just checked out database-they made a copy of Project: FORTIFY and downloaded it onto a flash drive!" Freezerloid informed the Buglars as he stepped into the room, anger evident in his voice. "I want them found, and I want them found _now_!"

" _Well that ain't good…"_ Shawn mumbled.

" _You've got that right,"_ Colin agreed, as Freezerloid continued to order the footsoldiers.

"I want every inch of this place turned inside out! Rip out the walls and ceiling if you have to!"

" _There's no way we're getting out of this vent without them seeing us,"_ Colin told his silver counterpart. " _We're gonna have to fight our way outta here."_

" _Lead the way, CV."_ Shawn said with a nod.

Kicking the vent cover open, the Blue Ranger rolled out of the air duct before hopping up to his feet, wasting no time as he began throwing punches at the nearest Buglar.

Following his lead, Shawn slid out of the air duct before leaping into action, using his hyper-detection to dodge incoming swings from the Buglars and subsequently causing the robotic footsoldiers to accidentally destroy one another.

Colin used his superstrength to weed through the others, and soon the room was cleared of all Buglars, leaving only them and Freezerloid. Seeing this, the Metaloid roared in anger, seeming absolutely flabbergasted.

"I can't _believe_ this!" Freezerloid shouted. "How are you two still alive?!"

"Duh," Shawn said, as if it were obvious. "We're Power Rangers!"

"You won't be for much longer!" The Metaloid roared, aiming his freezer-arm at them before firing a blast of ice their way.

"Shawn, get behind me!" Colin urged the Silver Ranger, who wasted no time in following these instructions. Once he had done so, Shawn watched as Colin used his superstrength to rip out a huge chunk of the floor, which he then used as a makeshift shield to block the ice beam from hitting them.

"Good idea," Shawn told him. "Thanks."

"Don't…thank me just yet!" Colin grunted, holding onto the shield with all of his might. "This…may not hold for much…longer!"

Hearing this, Freezerloid let out an evil laugh, before concentrating more of his energy on the ice-blast.

* * *

"Alright, we should be getting pretty close to the facility now!" Graham said to Nate, as he drove through the snow on Cheetah Nick's motorcycle mode. Pressing a button on his Transpod in order to access the comm-link, he addressed Colleen, saying, "Colleen, how do we get inside?"

"According to the data Captain Shields managed to dig up, there are multiple entrances and exits. Most of them hidden." Colleen said from up in the air, where she was hovering above the Lab inside the Rabbit Zord. "There should be one close to your position that sticks out like a sore thumb, though. Look for something in the snow that doesn't belong."

"Like _that_?" Nate suggested, gesturing a few feet to the right where a large metal plate of some sort could be seen lying in the snow.

"Well it certainly looks out of place," Graham agreed, veering off to the right before stopping right in front of it. Hopping off of the bike and stepping closer to the plate in order to get a better look at it, he spotted the letters 'LFIVE' engraved on it, confirming Nate's suspicions. Speaking into his Transpod again, he informed Colleen by saying, "It looks like we found a way in, Colleen. Now we just gotta figure out how to activate it…"

"Well, usually I'd suggest trying to hack our way in, but that's obviously not going to work here," Nate said as he hopped off of Cheetah Nick, who proceeded to transform into robot mode as the Gold Ranger joined Graham by the plate. "Maybe there's a hidden switch or lever?"

"Most likely. I just wonder where it could be…"

"That's a tough one…I mean, this snow goes on for miles and miles." Cheetah Nick chimed in, sitting down on top of the plate in order to contemplate the situation a bit. "Hmm…I wonder…"

"Um, Nick?" Graham questioned, his voice somewhat muffled by a sudden rumbling sound.

"Yeah?" The Buddy-Roid replied, completely oblivious as to what was going on as the plate beneath him began to open up, eventually causing him to fall down into a tunnel below. "WOAH!"

Before the robot could plummet to what would surely be his death, Graham reached out and grabbed him by the arm, saying, "Gotcha! Nate, gimme a hand!"

"I'll do you one better!" Nate countered, pressing his fingers to his temple and concentrating all of his energy. Using his telekinesis, he grabbed ahold of Cheetah Nick, lifting him up a couple of inches and making it easier for Graham to finish pulling him out of the hole. As Graham fell onto his back in exhaustion, he dusted off his hands, saying, "Piece of cake."

"Yeah, for you, maybe." Graham replied, a hint of sarcasm in his tone as he stood back up to his feet. Looking down the hole to see that there was no ladder in place to help them get down, Graham turned his Transpod back on before saying, "Colleen, we found a way in, but we can't get down there alone. We need to use ropes, and possible your superagility."

"I'm on my way," Colleen informed him, turning the Rabbit Zord around and lowering it closer to their position. "Just hang tight."

Hearing this, Nate looked out into the distance and clenched his fist before saying, " _Hold on just a little longer, guys. We're almost there…"_

* * *

"And…there goes our shield." Colin said awkwardly, as the makeshift shield finally cracked due to the force of the ice-blasts Freezerloid was firing at them. Tossing it aside, he continued, saying, "We may or may not be screwed right now…"

"You've got that right, four eyes!" Freezerloid hollered, ceasing fire in order to fold his arms in arrogance. "You two _never_ should have come here!"

"It's not like we did it on purpose!" Shawn replied. Looking to Colin, he then added, "We should morph, right?"

"What do you think?" Colin asked sarcastically, to which Shawn shrugged before brandishing his Morphin' Blaster. Whipping out his Morphin' Brace, the Blue Ranger continued with, "It's Morphin'-"

"I don't think so!" Freezerloid yelled, cutting him off before firing an ice-blast right at them.

"WOAH!" Colin and Shawn shouted in unison as the blast hit them head-on, launching them backward and sending their respective morphers flying out of their hands.

"There, I put you in your place! That's what you get for standing there like a moron and shouting little catchphrases!" Freezerloid said, howling in laughter before continuing. "I mean, seriously, did you think I was just gonna stand there are let you transform? How stupid do you think I am?!"

"That's…actually a good point." Shawn said, to which Colin shot him a look.

"Why are you agreeing with him?" Colin questioned, to which Shawn simply shrugged. Rolling his eyes, the Blue Ranger continued, saying, "You really are something else…"

"ENOUGH! I'm growing tired of your incessant chatter!" Freezerloid boomed, stepping over to them before aiming his freezer-arm directly at Colin's face. "It's time I iced you-permanently!"

"Not gonna happen!" A voice said out of nowhere, before a bolt of energy flew through the air and struck the Metaloid in the shoulder, sending him staggering backward.

"What the-?!" Freezerloid sputtered, as Graham, Colleen, Nate, and Cheetah Nick burst into the room; Graham was holding his Spy-Blaster, which had visible smoke rising up from the barrel. "More rangers?! Where in the world did you come from?!"

"The surface. Duh." Colleen said, before kneeling down next to Colin and Shawn in order to check on them. "Are you guys alright?"

"More or less…" Shawn replied.

"Good." Graham told him, continuing to aim his Spy-Blaster at Freezerloid. "We're getting you out of here."

"Not without dealing with this guy, you're not." Colin countered, standing back up to his feet. "Fair warning-he's a bit of a pain in the ass."

"Yeah, well so are you, but you don't see me complaining." Nate joked, using his telekinesis to scoop Colin and Shawn's morphers off the floor and hand them back to them. "Now would be a good time to morph, by the way."

"If you had been here a few minutes ago, you'd know we already tried that." Colin said with a smirk. Turning to Shawn, he then said, "Let's try this again, Shawn. It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Colin and Shawn Morphing Sequence~**

"Alright, you all know the drill!" Graham hollered, rallying his team together. "Savannah Hunter! Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior! Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper! Buster Yellow!"

"Rhinoceros Power! Buster Gold!"

"Stag Power! Buster Silver!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!" The five shouted in unison.

"Plus me, Cheetah Nick!" The Buddy-Roid added rather awkwardly, feeling left out as the Rangers finished their roll call.

Rolling his eyes inside his helmet, Nate muttered under his breath, saying, " _Well that was cringeworthy,"_

"Let's stay focused, everyone!" Graham said. "Objective: Take out…whatever this Metaloid is called, and then get back home where we belong! Ready…?"

"My NAME IS FREEZERLOID!" The Metaloid angrily interjected, waving his arms in the air like a madman.

"GO!" The five rangers said all at once, charging towards Freezerloid as he watched in pure anger and disdain.

"Buglars, attack!" He commanded, only for nothing to happen. Looking around, he grew frustrated, saying, "Where are they?!"

"Looks like you're all alone!" Graham said as he supersped past, slashing the Metaloid with his Spy-Saber as he did. "And that means-"

"-There's no one here to bail you out!" Colleen finished, leaping into the air with a superagility-charged jump before firing on the robotic monster with her Spy-Blaster, causing him to grow even more angry.

"Why, you…YOU'LL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!"

"I beg to differ!" Nate countered, using his telekinesis to lift a crate into the air before slashing at it with his Drive Blade, causing the heavy box to crash into Freezerloid and knock him onto his back. Seeing the Metaloid attempt to pick the crate back up and throw it back in retaliation, Cheetah Nick ran over and grabbed it out of his hands in order to prevent this.

"Un un uh," The Buddy-Roid teased, as the angry Metaloid stood back up and let out a growl.

"You little brats are about to get it!" Freezerloid roared, charging a large amount of energy into his freezer-arm as he aimed it at the five. "Prepare for freezer burn!"

"Not today!" Colin replied, tackling the Metaloid to the ground and delivering a superstrength-powered punch to his abdomen.

"You little prick!" Freezerloid screamed angrily, reaching out to grab the boy by the ankle.

"CV, look out!" Shawn warned the Blue Ranger as he predicted the move using his hyper-detection, moving in in order to blast the Metaloid in the face with his Morphin' Blaster.

Sweeping the Silver Ranger's legs out from underneath of him before struggling back up to his feet, Freezerloid roared once more in anger, saying, "I've had just about enough of you little piss-ants! You break into _my_ factory, steal _my_ data, and then you have the _audacity_ to think you can just walk away?! I'll kill every last one of you with my bare hands!"

"Hey man, just take a chill pill," Shawn joked, as he and the others reassembled and took a stance. Pulling out their Spy-Sabers, Graham, Colin, and Colleen pressed the buttons on them, while Nate and Shawn brandished their Morphin' Blasters and spoke into them, in order to activate their finishers.

"Spy-Saber: Stakeout…SLASH!" Graham and the twins hollered in unison as their Spy-Sabers charged up with golden energy, the three of them dashing towards Freezerloid and slashing him in the side as they ran past him.

"Morphin' Blaster: Finale…FINISH!" Nate and Shawn shouted, aiming at Freezerloid and firing two golden beams of energy that pierced through his armor like a hot knife through butter.

"Enter is going to kill meeeeeee!" Freezerloid shrieked as he began to spark uncontrollably. Falling down to the ground, he exploded and died, leaving a cloud of smoke as Graham and the others demorphed.

Standing in place, they waited for a few minutes in total silence, which Shawn eventually broke.

"So…is he gonna like, revive?" The Silver Ranger asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Doesn't look like it. I guess Enter's pre-occupied at the moment." Graham replied. "Even if he does revive and board a robot, it doesn't really matter. This area's pretty much a wasteland so we don't really have anyone to protect. Now let's go home."

"Amen to that!" Colin hollered, sighing in exhaustion as he and the others headed for the nearest elevator.

"I call shotgun!" Shawn chirped.

"You realize her Zord's cockpit doesn't have a front passenger seat, right?" Cheetah Nick asked, causing the others to laugh at Shawn's expense.

* * *

 _Back to HQ…_

About an hour or so later, the Rangers arrived back at headquarters. Landing her Rabbit Zord inside the Zord bay, Colleen opened the back hatch before joining the others as they exited the vehicle. Together, the five rangers and Cheetah Nick walked out of the hangar and into the Barracks, which they proceeded to walk through in order to make it to the Command Room.

As soon as they stepped inside, Captain Shields ran over to Colin, saying, "Thank God, I was so worried!"

With that, he gave the Blue Ranger a gigantic hug, causing the latter's face to glow red with embarrassment.

Releasing the teen from his grip, the Captain took a deep breath, before saying, "Colin…I know I'm not your father, but…I've raised you for so long and I just…I want to know that I think of you as a son. I uh…I hope that wasn't too-"

"-Please. You don't have to explain yourself." Colin said, cutting him off. " _Dad_."

Hearing this, the Captain smiled, before giving his surrogate son another hug. Seeing this, Colleen grinned, as Nate looked on, slightly surprised.

"What? Isn't anyone happy to see Shawn?"

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I for one am glad to see that he made it back," Lieutenant Woods said, standing up from his post and walking over to Shawn before giving him a hug. "We were really worried about you, man."

"T-Thanks, I guess…" Shawn said somewhat awkwardly, as Lieutenant Rose walked over to them.

"I usually don't like to show a lot of emotion, but I have to admit that I've grown somewhat attached to you five in the brief time that we've worked together." The Lieutenant admitted, somewhat surprising her cohort as she reached in and gave Shawn a (slightly awkward) hug of her own. "Welcome back, Shawn."

"It's good to be back, Lieutenant." Shawn said, again somewhat awkwardly as the older girl released him from the hug.

"I didn't know you had a heart," Lieutenant Woods joked, earning a slug on the arm from Lieutenant Rose.

"Of course I do, Martin. I just prefer to remain professional." Lieutenant Rose replied, as a playful smile formed on her face. "Unlike you."

"Hey! Now c'mon, that was a cheap shot!" Lieutenant Woods squelched, eliciting a fit of giggles from Lieutenant Rose.

Clearing his throat in order to get everyone's attention, Shawn looked to Captain Shields and said, "Sir, I hate to break up the party, but while we were there, CV and I found some enemy intel we think you might wanna see."

Hearing this, Captain Shields swapped his smile for a serious look before saying, "You have my attention."

Reaching into his pocket and procuring the flash drive, Colin handed it to his surrogate father, saying, "It's called 'Project: FORTIFY'. The Vaglass were using that base to try and upgrade the armor the Buglars and Metaloids use."

"Clever…I'll have the RnD department take a look at this," Captain Shields replied, pocketing the flash drive before continuing. "The longer this war goes on, the more the Vaglass are going to advance in technology. We've _got_ to stay at least one step ahead of them at all times."

Hearing this, Lieutenant Woods nodded in agreement, saying, "My thoughts exactly, sir."

"Don't be a brown-noser, Martin." Lieutenant Rose teased, causing the others to laugh at her cohort's expense.

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

"So…they stumbled upon our work in Lab Five?"

"Yes, Monsieur." Enter said with a bow, as Psycho addressed him via the video uplink inside the factory he resided in. "Busters Blue and Silver somehow managed to sneak inside and infiltrate the facility. They then proceeded to hack into our network, download the files for Project: FORTIFY, and copy them to a flash drive, and then Busters Red, Yellow, and Gold came to assist them in escaping before decommissioning Freezerloid. I apologize on his behalf for the failure."

"I have no need for your petty apology…that is, if you still have the data?"

"Yes, Monsieur." Enter replied, holding up a flash drive of his own. "I made back-ups a few hours before they infiltrated the lab. Even if they send agents to delete the files, the project will still go right on schedule."

"Good…" Psycho replied, seemingly having calmed down upon hearing this. "I want you to begin work on the next phase immediately, Enter."

"Your wish is my command, Monsieur," Enter said with a bow. "They may have stolen our spare key…but we're still going to win this war."

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, Graham, Colin, and Colleen can be seen in a large, gray expanse, all three of them watching a recording of their mothers' deaths with solemn looks on their faces. Out of nowhere, raindrops begin to fall, filling the screen with color as the vocals start.*)**_

 _ **~Take a breath, take a long look around before you step,**_

 _ **Cuz the tide is coming, swallowing the ground.~**_

 _ **(*Graham whips his head around desperately as water begins to fill the room, threatening to drown the three teens. Beating on the walls, he tries to break free, to no avail*)**_

 _ **~And there's no way to tell if we will drown tonight,**_

 _ **Or we'll be found tonight.~**_

 _ **(*An image of Graham, Colin, and Colleen's dead bodies drifting along in the water can be seen, only to disappear a moment later, the whole thing being revealed as a nightmare as Graham sits up in bed, screaming.*)**_

 _ **~So come in close, if the current gets us, then it get us both,**_

 _ **We can't wait here anymore.~**_

 _ **(*As Graham walks down the sidewalk, he spots Colleen off in the distance. Gazing at her longingly, he rushes over to her, only for a wall of solid energy to separate them, causing him to frown. The Vaglass come out of nowhere, storming the area and firing at them both. The two look up, realizing they have no choice but to fight.*)**_

 _ **~So if the waves come, let 'em take us,**_

 _ **As they cover you and me, and they pull us underneath.~**_

 _ **(*Graham, Colin, and Colleen rush to fight the Buglars, instantly morphing as they punch and kick the footsoldiers into submission. Seeing Enter, Graham charges him, slashing wildly. However, he is thrown onto his back by the Avatar, who walks up to him, pointing a laser pistol at his head. Demorphing, Graham grimaces, accepting his defeat.*)**_

 _ **~I hope that fate will forgive us, for tempting the sea,**_

 _ **I hope that they won't forget us!~**_

 _ **(*Graham turns to Colin and Colleen as the three are dragged into Hyperspace by Enter. No doubt, the three are to be executed for opposing the Vaglass. Bowing his head, Graham prays a desperate prayer, as Colleen looks at him, a single tear running down her cheek.*)**_

 _ **~No, we can't go back,**_

 _ **To the way it used to be.~**_

 _ **(*Waking up on the grass, Graham stands up, realizing it was all another dream. Looking to his right, he sees Colin and Colleen, the latter of the two waving him over with a smile. Taking a quick look at a picture of his mother in his pocket, Graham puts it away before joining his friends, a smile on his face despite himself. Seeing this, Colin pats him on the back, and Colleen reaches for his hand. Graham nervously takes it, squeezing it lightly as the three friends walk towards the sunset, the song ending as the camera pans away.*)**_

 ***End Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, what do ya know? Another episode, done and dusted. Woot woot! It may not have gotten done as quickly as I would've liked, but hey, that's just life. I've been a little busy lately with job-hunting (I had to quit my first job due to a lack of hours, and it took awhile to find another one. I just got hired by my local Dollar Tree, though, so I'm now officially employed again. Praise the Lord lol), and I've been hanging out with a real life friend of mine every chance I've got, so yeah, I've had a lot of distractions lately. Hopefully the next one will be done a lot faster so I can get back on track. Anyway, that's pretty much it for now. Here's a preview for the next one!

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** _The GPU finishes work on a major upgrade to the Rangers' arsenal, just in time for them to take on a new, extremely powerful Metaloid. However, Graham fails to utilize it properly, resulting in Cheetah Nick being turned into data and absorbed. Can the Red Ranger get his head on straight in order to save his best friend? Find out, in_ **Episode 12: Upgrade!**


	12. Ep 12: Upgrade

**A/N:** Hey everyone, I'm back with episode twelve! I know the last episode was a little more filler-y than usual, but don't worry, this time we'll be returning to the more plot-heavy stuff in order to, well, move the plot along. Lol. Anyway, enjoy the episode, and be sure to leave a review telling me your thoughts. I'll see you all in the second author's note once it's over!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

It had been several hours since the Rangers had returned from Lab Five. Captain Shields had elected to head home early in order to spend some quality time with Colin and Colleen, leaving Lieutenant Woods in charge at HQ for the rest of the evening.

From his post, Martin watched as several GPU cadets ran back and forth from room to room, running tests and working to fix the teleportation network and stop it from malfunctioning. Using his computer terminal, he had accessed the security cameras, and every now and then he shifted his attention towards the screen in order to check on the progress of the Research and Development team, who were busy analyzing the data that Colin and Shawn had brought back with them.

According to the Blue and Silver Rangers, the Vaglass had been working on something called "Project: FORTIFY", which they intended to implement in order to increase the strength and density of the metal armor used by Buglars and Metaloids.

There was no way of knowing how far along the project was without delving deeper into the files the two had recovered during their time in Lab Five, but chances were that it was pretty far along in development. Because of that, the only real way for the Rangers to stay up to date and remain effective in the fight against the Vaglass was to upgrade their arsenal in a significant way. How exactly they would do that, Martin didn't know, but he trusted the guys down in RnD enough to know they'd more than likely find a way. Still, he'd have been lying if he said he didn't have a small bit of doubt in the back of his mind.

 _Hopefully they figure out something soon._ The Lieutenant thought to himself. _Because if they don't…_

"Martin?" A voice asked suddenly, shaking the Lieutenant from his thoughts. Looking up, he saw Lieutenant Rose, who was standing in front of his desk with a somewhat concerned look on her face. "Are you alright? You seem a little jittery."

Rubbing the back of his neck in slight embarrassment, Martin replied, "I-It's nothing, Alicia, I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all."

"Oh. Guess I was right to bring you this, then." His fellow officer mused, placing a white coffee mug on his desk before taking a sip from her own mug.

Giving his cohort an appreciative smile, Martin reached for the mug and lifted it to his mouth, blowing on it for a few seconds in an attempt to cool it down before finally taking a sip. Coughing almost immediately, he very gently set the mug back down, lifting his elbow to his mouth in order to cover his cough before speaking.

"Sheesh, coffee's a little strong, don't ya think?"

"Eh, I don't mind it." Lieutenant Rose said with a shrug, taking another sip before continuing. "My father always drank it black."

"I see…" Martin said somewhat awkwardly, forcing himself to take another sip before saying, "Thanks for the thought, Alicia."

"You're welcome, Martin." Alicia replied with a smile, something she rarely did. During the brief time he had worked with her, she had always been stoic, calculating, and relatively quiet. She had her moments, of course, and she wasn't lacking in emotion or anything like that, it's just that she never really exhibited any of them while on the clock.

Feeling his face heat up slightly as he realized just how beautiful she looked when she smiled, Martin turned his attention back to the monitor, in order to supervise the RnD team as they continued analyzing their findings.

"Anyway, I hope the RnD department figures out how to bolster the Ranger's arsenal soon," Alicia said, once again shaking Martin from his thoughts.

"Me too, Alicia." He agreed. " _Me too…_ "

* * *

"Well, its official," Enter remarked from his secret lair, his eyes glued to a nearby computer monitor as it displayed a GPU-ordered airstrike being carried out on Laboratory Five. "They've torched the site."

Hearing this via the video uplink terminal, Psycho let out a pained groan, before saying, "Enter...did you secure the prototype…?"

"Allow me to check," Enter said, snapping his fingers in order to summon a Buglar from the other side of the room. Said Buglar proceeded to walk over to him and hold out a briefcase, which the Avatar then took. Placing it on the metal table in front of him, Enter opened it to reveal its contents, which appeared to be Metavirus cards like the ones he used to create Metaloids. However, unlike those, these ones were a little bit bigger, and instead of being a flat silver color, they were translucent white, with visible red wires running underneath.

"It would appear so, my liege." Enter observed, reaching into the briefcase and procuring one of the cards from its foam groove. Turning to face the uplink terminal and lifting the card so he could examine it a bit closer in the light, he continued, saying, " _They're beautiful…"_

"That they are…" Psycho murmured in agreement, his usually pained, soulless tone of voice now carrying an underlying hint of pride. "I'm sure you'll put them to good use…"

"Most definitely, Monsieur." Enter replied, turning back towards the table and slotting the card back into its groove before closing and locking the briefcase, which he left sitting on the table as he walked over to the window, admiring the glow of the moon as it slowly began to make its descent. "And when the time to strike is at hand…those Rangers will never know what hit them."

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**_

 _ **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**_

 _ **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**_

 _ **(*Shots of all five Rangers flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, Colleen is riding a bike, Nate is writing something in a journal, and Shawn is playing a handheld videogame console. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**_

 _ **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**_

 _ **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**_

 _ **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**_

 _ **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**_

 _ **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**_

 _ **(*A now teenaged Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist as the others follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, with the other four quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the five spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**_

 _ **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*A shot of the five Rangers piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot is shown. Gripping the controls, they each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**_

 _ **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**_

 _ **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**_

 _ **(*The scene transitions to show Graham and the others standing side by side, all five of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the five instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, they all rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**_

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 12: Upgrade**

 _One Week Later…_

"Annnnnnd…done." Graham said to himself as he finished up the last equation on the Calculus worksheet he was working on, sighing in relief as he completed the homework assignment. Flipping it over and checking his answers to make sure they looked correct, he put his pencil down and added the completed assignment to the stack of finished homework he had created on the other side of his desk before clapping his hands together and saying, "Alright, I'm finally done with my weekend homework!"

Spinning his desk chair around so that it faced the other side of his bedroom, the teen stood up and stretched, letting out a small yawn as he did so. Hearing his stomach growl, he decided to go make himself something to eat, crossing the room in order to reach the door, which he then opened. Smelling something rather delicious, he turned his head towards the kitchen, where his Aunt and Uncle were currently making breakfast.

"Hiya, bud!" His Uncle Scott greeted as Graham emerged from his room, walking down the hall towards the dining room table where his younger cousins were sitting. Letting out a bit of a chuckle, his uncle continued, saying, "You just roll out of bed?"

"No, I've been up for a few hours. I was working on homework," The teen explained as he pulled out a chair, sitting down next to Seth and giving him a small smile. Looking up at his Uncle, Graham spoke again, saying, "What's for breakfast?"

"That would be your favorite: Chocolate Chip Pancakes." Aunt Tammy revealed, causing Graham to pump his fist in excitement. Giggling somewhat, she said, "I take it you're excited?"

Hearing this, the boy simply nodded in reply, a grin forming on his face as his Uncle came over and placed a plate of the pancakes in question in the center of the table. Uncle Scott then sat down as his wife brought over a plate of bacon as well as a container of syrup, both of which she placed next to the pancakes before taking a seat beside her husband.

"Yay, pancakes! I'm so happy!" Graham's younger cousin Eden chirped, a look of excitement shining in her bright blue eyes. Turning to her cousin, she spoke again, saying, "Are you happy, Graham?"

Giving his cousin a smile as he reached out to pat her lovingly on the head, Graham replied, "Yes, Eden. I'm very happy."

With that, his Aunt and Uncle looked at eachother and smiled-they were both very happy to share a rare meal with their nephew, who had been very busy lately with school and Ranger duty.

"Alright, who wants to pray?" Uncle Scott asked, looking around the table.

"I will," Graham said almost immediately, closing his eyes and bowing his head as the rest of his family followed his lead. "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for everything that you've given us. We ask you to bless this meal and the hands that prepared it. Let it prosper our bodies so we can continue to go out into the world and spread your holy word. In Jesus name, amen."

"Amen," The others echoed, and together they lifted their head and before eating.

"So Graham, you were working on homework?" Seth asked, taking a quick bite of his bacon before washing it down with a sip of orange juice. "How was it?"

"Pretty good. I'm pretty confident I did a good job on it." Graham replied, making sure his cousins had pancakes before grabbing two for himself and putting them on his plate. "Except for Calculus, anyway, it's really hard."

"Y'know, you could always ask Jamie to tutor you." His Aunt told him as she cut into her pancake, taking a small bite before continuing with, "She's always been really good with math."

"Nah, I'd rather not. I don't really have time for a tutor," Graham pointed out, taking a bite of his pancakes before saying, "You're not still trying to set me up with her, are you?"

"What? No," Aunt Tammy said rather awkwardly, having been caught off guard by her nephew's perceptiveness. "Although I do think you two would be rather cute-"

"Give it a rest, Tammy. I don't think he's all that interested." Uncle Scott pointed out, cutting her off. Turning to face his nephew as a smile formed on his face, he continued, saying, "I mean, honestly, I think we all know who he's _really_ interested in is that Colleen girl-"

"Uncle Scott, stop!" Graham pleaded, blushing bright red at the mention of his friend and fellow Ranger. "Please…"

"Okay then, I'll stop." Uncle Scott replied, taking a sip of orange juice before adding, "Sorry."

"It's alright," Graham mumbled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "You didn't do anything wrong…"

With that, Tammy couldn't help but smile; seeing the boy so happy, and so embarrassed, and so _normal_ really made her happy. After everything that happened with his mom, and then the memory-alteration, and how he learned the truth and became a Ranger-Graham had been through quite a lot for someone who was only _just_ about to turn eighteen, and moments like these where he got to kick back and just be normal for a little while really warmed her heart. She knew she and her husband were raising a Power Ranger, but she still wanted him to have a life outside of that. Deep down, Tammy knew her late sister would've wanted the same thing.

And so, the five continued eating their meal, talking, smiling, and laughing the whole way through. Eventually, they finished their food, and Graham stood up from the table and pushed in his chair before grabbing his plate. He then proceeded to go around the table, gathering everyone else's dishes and taking them over to the sink.

Realizing he was going to try and wash them himself, Tammy stood up and said, "Don't worry about the dishes, Graham. Scott and I can take care of them."

"No, I can wash them." Graham insisted. "You guys already made breakfast, it's only fair."

"Alright, go ahead." She relented, giving her nephew a small smile as he turned around and placed the dirty dishes in the sink.

He was about to fill the sink with hot water and soap when an electronic beeping noise began to emit itself from his pocket, where his Morphin' Brace usually rested when he wasn't on missions. Reaching into his pocket, he procured the device in order to confirm that it was indeed beeping, meaning he was being summoned.

"That's your Morpher thing, isn't it, Graham?" His Uncle asked, his interest piqued.

"Yeah, it is…" Graham replied, a hint of reluctance in his voice.

Placing her hand on her nephew's shoulder, Tammy spoke up, saying, "Go ahead, Graham. We'll be fine."

Giving his Aunt a hesitant nod, the teen walked out of the kitchen and into the foyer, where he then proceeded to strap his Morpher to his wrist before raising it to his mouth.

"Go for Graham," He said as he tapped the dial on the top, responding to the call.

"Graham, this is Captain Shields." Captain Shields replied over the comm-link. "I have some news for you and the other Rangers. I'm gonna need you here at HQ pronto."

Taking a deep breath, Graham said, "Understood, sir. I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

"Recognized: Graham, B-06." A computerized voice announcedp over the intercom, as Graham warped into HQ.

Stepping off of the teleporter and into the Common Area, the boy shoved his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie before glancing around the room, being caught off guard when a voice addressed him.

"Hiya, Graham!" Cheetah Nick greeted his human counterpart rather enthusiastically, his face lighting up at the sight of him. "How are you?"

"Pretty good," Graham said as he got over the initial shock, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "How about you?"

"I'm doing pretty well. Thanks for asking!" Nick chirped. "So, what brings you to HQ this morning? After all, it's Saturday. Shouldn't you be hanging out with friends and family?"

" _Yeah, if only…_ " Graham muttered under his breath, before clearing his throat and continuing with, "Actually Nick, Captain Shields called. He has some news he wants to share with us Rangers."

"Oh, right. That. Banana and Lettuce said something about that earlier; apparently he wants to see us Buddy-Roids as well. Anyway, you're the first one here, so you'll have to wait for the others to get here."

As soon as he said that, a whirring noise came from the teleporter, and all four of Graham's teammates warped into HQ as the computerized voice confirmed their arrival over the intercom.

"Recognized: Colin, B-04."

"Recognized: Colleen, B-05."

"Recognized: Nate, B-07."

"Recognized: Shawn, B-08."

" _Oh…I guess not."_ Nick mumbled, as the others stepped out of the teleporter and rushed over to them.

"Yo, Graham!" Colin hollered, waving at his red counterpart.

"What's up, man?" Shawn added as he walked over, being closely followed by Nate.

"Hi." The Gold Ranger chimed in somewhat awkwardly, before reaching up to adjust his glasses with his thumb.

"Hi, Graham!" Colleen said with a smile, causing the boy to blush slightly as she continued with, "How are you, today?"

"I'm g-good," Graham said rather shyly, turning his head and faking a cough into his elbow before continuing. "H-How about you?"

"I'm good, thanks for asking!" Colleen chirped as her smile grew somewhat, causing his blush to momentarily intensify. Graham thanked the Lord above that _this_ was the moment that Captain Shields decided to come onto the intercom, drawing everyone's attention away and preventing them from noticing.

"Attention all Rangers, this is Captain Shields." The Captain said over the intercom, addressing the five in a rather serious tone of voice. "Please report to the RnD Labs, I have something I want to show you."

With that, the five turned to leave, but before they could exit the Common Area they were interrupted when the Captain came back on the intercom.

"Oh, and bring the Buddy-Roids, too." He added, sounding as if he had forgotten.

Upon hearing this, both Colin and Shawn stifled a laugh, and Graham turned and motioned for Cheetah Nick to join them, along with Banana and Lettuce as they emerged from their storage pods.

* * *

"Come on in, Rangers." Captain Shields beckoned, motioning for the five to enter the RnD Labs as they approached the lab entrance. Gesturing over to a couple of chairs, he said, "Have a seat, we have much to discuss."

Hearing this, the five teens walked over to the chairs and sat down, making themselves comfortable as the Buddy-Roids came and stood next to them. Seeing that they had sat down, Captain Shields took a deep breath before continuing, his face portraying slight hints of fatigue.

"As you all know, last week there was some kind of glitch in our teleportation grid that resulted in mass complications. Physical side-effects, teleportation delays, and of course, Colin and Shawn were teleported to the completely wrong location. This led to the discovery that Laboratory Five, a previously abandoned GPU facility in the Antarctic, was being used by the Vaglass in order to research and develop new technology for their war efforts. Thanks to the efforts to our Blue and Silver Rangers, we were able to gather intel on 'Project: FORTIFY', which our lead scientists have been looking over for the past few days. Their findings were…frightening, to say the least." Captain Shields took a deep breath before continuing, saying, "The Vaglass weren't just trying to make themselves more durable…they were trying to make themselves stronger as well. I ordered an air raid on the facility in order to ensure its destruction, but I have no doubt in my mind that Enter made back-ups of that data. To put all that in a nutshell…this war is about to get _a lot_ harder."

"So…basically, we're screwed." Colin said rather bluntly, earning himself a slug on the arm from his sister.

"Not exactly," Captain Shields replied, turning to a scientist standing next to him before saying, "Care to introduce yourself?"

"Gladly," The scientist, a tall and thin Caucasian female with short black hair and dull blue eyes said, turning to face the Rangers before saying, "Greetings, Rangers. My name is Professor Tennet. I'm the lead RnD scientist here at HQ."

"So…you make all the gadgets?" Shawn questioned, to which the Professor nodded.

"Yes, that is correct. I am responsible for developing and building all of the technology that you five use during battle. Aside from the Buddy-Roids and Zords, anyway, those were both Logan and Martin's brainchildren, respectively." Professor Tennet explained, looking to Captain Shields and his two Lieutenants for a brief moment before turning back to face the Rangers. "Now, I've never been the best at reading people, but after what you just heard, you five are probably feeling somewhat intimidated, yes?"

"No, no, of course not," Colin said sarcastically, causing the Professor to tilt her head in confusion.

"I don't understand…what you've just been told is rather frightening news."

Facepalming slightly, Colin took a deep breath before saying, " _It's called sarcasm, lady…"_

"Oh. Right. I told you I wasn't that great at reading people." Professor Tennet said rather awkwardly, regaining her composure before continuing. "Anyway, moving on. You may be scared, but you have nothing to fear. _We've_ come up with a countermeasure."

"What kind of countermeasure?" Colleen questioned.

" _This_ kind," The Professor replied, pressing a button on the tablet she was holding. This caused the floor in front of her to open up, allowing a metal display case to rise up. Opening up the display, she reached inside, pulling out a small red and orange device about the size of a Morphin' Brace. It was very similar, too, with the same sort of tech detail and sunglass-esque design. "Behold, the Buddy Visor."

"Buddy…Visor?" Graham asked, his voice full of curiosity.

"Indeed. You see, a long time ago we attempted to implement an extra armor system to your Ranger suits, but it didn't work out because the armor required more power than your suits were capable of outputting." The Professor explained. "However, after learning of 'Project: FORTIFY', we tried to come up with an alternative power source. And that was when it hit me-we could use the Buddy-Roids."

"You…you mean _us?_ " Cheetah Nick asked, gesturing to himself and the two others.

"Exactly. The Buddy Visor is designed to fit onto your Morphin' Braces as a sort of add-on; once activated, it will allow you to fuse with your respective Buddy-Roids, which in turn will allow you to use them as armor while also amplifying your metahuman abilities."

"But…what about us?" Nate questioned, gesturing to himself and Shawn. "We don't have Morphin' Braces _or_ Buddy-Roids."

"I am aware of that. I was and still am working on an alternative that will be compatible with your Gold and Silver Ranger suits, but it won't be ready for some time. I can't make any guarantees, but you won't become obsolete, I assure you."

"So...when do we get to test it?" Graham questioned, to which the Professor gave a slight smirk.

" _Now_." She told him, handing the Buddy Visor to the Red Ranger. "We've only made one prototype so far, and as the leader of the Rangers we thought it would be best if you were the one to test it out. Plus, Cheetah Nick is the most advanced of the Buddy-Roids, so if it works with him, it should work with all of them. Are you prepared to do that?"

"I, I mean-" Graham began before being cut off by the sound of a blaring alarm, which sounded out over the intercom.

"Sir, we're picking up Vaglass activity at the local middle school!" A GPU cadet shouted, poking his head into the lab in order to address Captain Shields. "There's a crazy strong Metaloid terrorizing the students and teachers!"

Hearing this, Captain Shields looked to the Rangers and said, "You five know what to do. Move out!"

Standing up, the teens immediately saluted, saying, "Sir, yes sir!"

With that, they ran out of the room and headed for the teleporter, with Cheetah Nick following closely behind. Seeing this, the Professor tapped her chin, a thought forming in the back of her mind.

"Huh…should I have wished them good luck?"

"Yeah." Lieutenant Woods replied. "You probably should have."

"Oh." The Professor said rather awkwardly. "Well, too late now…"

* * *

Things were quickly growing chaotic on the campus of Starview Heights Middle School. Things were on fire and debris was falling everywhere as hordes of Buglars chased down groups of fleeing students and teachers, shooting energy blasts out of their katar-esque weapons in an attempt to wreak havoc upon the innocent populace. The cops had been called in an attempt to contain the situation but as per usual, their efforts proved largely ineffective, and in a rare twist the law enforcement officers found themselves almost as helpless as those they were trying to protect.

Leading the attack was, of course, a Metaloid-in this case, it was a tall Metaloid with gunmetal gray armor with red accents. It appeared to be themed around hourglasses, with a large one sitting atop its left shoulder and a strange, clear container filled with what appeared to be red sand making up the majority of its torso.

Letting out a hearty laugh as he spotted a young boy attempting to help a girl with a sprained ankle get away, the Metaloid raised his arm and began to charge up an energy-blast, deciding to toy with his prey before he killed them. However, before he could, a single laser beam cut through his hand, breaking his concentration and causing him to growl in anger as Graham and the other Rangers ran into the area.

"Not so fast!" Colleen hollered as she and the others ran in-between the Metaloid and the two children, who were now standing completely still, watching and waiting to see what was going to happen. The Yellow Ranger was holding her Spy-Blaster, which appeared to be smoking somewhat at the tip. She was the one who shot him.

"Nick, get these kids to safety!" Graham ordered the Buddy-Roid, who nodded before going over to help the little boy and his friend. This left the Rangers alone with the Metaloid and his entourage of Buglars, who stood there menacingly.

"Why hello, there! You must be the Power Rangers that Enter told me so much about!" The Metaloid said. "My name's Glassloid! Wanna be pals?"

"Sorry, tin can, but we're gonna have to pass," Colin replied, clenching his fist as he and the others took a fighting stance.

"You're not a very patient bunch, I see," Glassloid observed. "Very well, neither am I. Buglars, attack!"

With that, the Buglars under his command charged forward, brandishing their weapons and making electronic beeping noises as they rushed to meet their foes in battle. Seeing this, Graham and the others brandished their morphers, wasting no time in performing the necessary steps to morph.

"It's Morphin' Time!" They shouted in unison. "Install: Spy-Busters!"

Instantly transforming into their Ranger suits, the five brandished their preferred weapons before standing their ground, preparing to meet their combatants head on.

Turning to look at the others, Graham said, "Skip the roll call this time, we don't have time for theatrics."

"I couldn't agree more!" Colin said as he clenched his fists tightly, using his superstrength to dispatch the Buglars and relegating his Spy-Saber to more of a secondary weapon. "Those poses are really hard to remember on the spot!"

"I don't know, I think they're really memorable," Shawn countered as he stood next to Colleen, the two of them gunning down the footsoldiers with their respective blaster weapons.

"That's easy for you to say, all you do is spin in a circle and give them a little salute!" Colin argued, causing Nate to groan in slight annoyance as he slashed wildly at the Buglars with his Drive Blade.

"Guys, we really don't have time for this!" Graham told them, using his lightning fast reflexes to block an attack from a Buglar with his Spy-Saber before slashing the robotic footsoldier across the chest with the weapon. "You handle the Buglars; Glassloid is mine!"

"I don't know, Buster Red, that doesn't seem like the best plan in my opinion," A voice said out of nowhere, as Enter warped in behind the Red Ranger and grabbed him by the arm. He then proceeded to whip the teen around in order to face him, before saying, "After all, don't you have more pressing matters to attend to?"

"Yeah, like what?!"

"I don't know…this?" Enter said with a coy smile, snapping his fingers. This prompted Glassloid to grab the hourglass on his shoulder and toss it over a nearby wall, causing it to land in the school's playground.

Peering over to see bright green lights flashing, Graham said, "What the…why you! What did he just do?! Tell me!"

"Why don't you see for yourself, garcon stupide?" Enter said, ending his sentence in French as he often did before teleporting away, causing Graham to clench his fist in frustration.

The Red Ranger's train of thought was interrupted when he heard screams coming from the playground, causing him to immediately whip his head over in that direction.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" He shouted before dashing over to that area without a second thought, leaving the other four to deal with Glassloid and the Buglars all by themselves.

"Graham!" Colleen called after him, gunning down a group of Buglars that was rushing her before turning to look at Shawn. "You three deal with this, I'm gonna go help Graham!"

"Rog'!" Shawn shouted in reply, watching as Colleen used her superagility to vault over the wall and into the playground after Graham. Turning to Nate, he said, "You think we can hold these guys off on our own?"

"Probably not, but we have to try!" Nate replied, taking out the last of the Buglars with his Drive Blade before focusing his attention on Glassloid. "You're next, you glorified antique!"

"We'll see about that," Glassloid countered, as the Gold Ranger ran to meet him head-on. Colin and Shawn followed closely behind, prepared to back their teammate up as he went one-on-one with the Metaloid.

Meanwhile, Graham came to a screeching halt as he entered the playground, immediately spotting the source of the commotion. Somehow, the hourglass that Glassloid threw created a sort of sinkhole in the ground, which several students had become caught in and were desperately trying to climb back up, not wanting to sink to the bottom.

Upon closer inspection, the Red Ranger had a pretty good understanding why; as a swing-set sunk to the bottom of the sinkhole, it dissolved into data before vanishing out of thin air, now seemingly gone forever. Nobody knew all the ins and outs of this thing, but they all knew that reaching the bottom of the sandpit probably wouldn't result in anything good.

"Hang on, Joshua!" A young boy with glasses hollered as he reached out towards one of the people caught in the sinkhole, a skinny boy with a look of pure fear in his eyes. Grabbing onto the boy's arm, he attempted to pull him out, but he proved too weak to do so on his own, and the other boy started to panic.

"H-Hurry up, Jacob!" He cried, desperation evident in his voice. "I'm gonna f-fall!"

"No you're not!" Cheetah Nick countered, sliding over next to the two and reaching out his hand. "Grab on to my arm, we'll both pull you out together!"

Glancing over to his friend before turning his eyes back to the Buddy-Roid, the young boy grabbed onto his arm and nodded, prompting the two to pull back with all their might.

Within seconds, they succeeded in pulling him back up, saving him from the tragic fate he most likely would've met had he fallen any deeper into the sinkhole.

Seeing that he was indeed alive, the boy reached up to the top of his head and frowned, his face portraying a look of profound loss.

"My hat…" He realized, turning around just in time to see a red ball-cap sink into the bottom of the sinkhole and turn into data.

"Hey, it's okay. At least you're alive." His friend told him, giving him a reassuring smile. "It could've been a lot worse."

"You've got that right." Cheetah Nick said as he stood up, not paying much attention to his footing. "You two get to safety, alright? It's too dangerous here at the moment-WOAH!"

"Nick!" Graham shouted as he witnessed his Buddy-Roid trip and fall into the sinkhole, causing him to immediately superspeed over to the area in an attempt to save him. Reaching out his hand, he attempted to grab onto the robot, saying, "Nick, grab on! Hurry, you're sinking!"

"I…I can't…" Nick said rather weakly, his attempts to grab Graham's hand proving futile as he passed the point of no return. "Graham…you know what to do, don't you? You'd better-"

Unfortunately, the Buddy-Roid's sentence was cut short when his foot came into contact with the bottom of the sinkhole, causing his leg to slowly turn into data and vanish into thin air. Turning to look at the Red Ranger as he slowly disappeared, he spoke again, saying, "Graham!"

"Nick!" Graham screamed, watching in utter helplessness as his best friend vanished before his eyes. "NICK!"

"Graham!" Colleen shouted, her voice full of concern as she landed in the playground and immediately bounded over to the Red Ranger. "Graham, what's wrong?"

"Nick…he's…he's…" Graham managed to stammer before a lump formed in his throat, tears begin to fall form his eyes from within his helmet. Clenching his fist and slamming it onto the ground, he said, "He's gone, Colleen…I…I couldn't save him…"

"Oh no…" Colleen murmured, casting her gaze down towards the sinkhole as a feeling of sympathy crashed over her in waves. "I'm so sorry, Graham…Graham, I-"

"-Don't," Graham said, cutting her off as he reached out to touch her on the back. "This isn't your…"

"Hahaha, I see my plan worked!" Glassloid boomed, bursting through the wall that separated the playground from the parking lot. Reaching out his hand and catching the hourglass as it rose up out of the ground and caused the sinkhole to disappear, he continued, saying, "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, Rangers, but I've got bigger fish to fry at the moment! Catch ya on the flip side!"

With that, he teleported away, leaving the two alone and causing Graham to growl as he and Colleen demorphed.

"You…you _MONSTER_!" He said as tears of anger flowed from his eyes, unable to contain themselves. "I'll…I'll kill you! You hear me?! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU PIECE OF ROBOTIC TRASH!"

"Graham, calm down!" Colleen urged, cradling the Red Ranger in her arms as he let out what seemed like a monsoon of tears. "It's gonna be okay!"

"What happened?" Shawn questioned as he, Colin and Nate rushed over to them, concern evident on their faces.

"My…my Buddy-Roid, Nick…he's…he's gone…" Graham managed to mumble, trembling in utter sorrow. "He's gone and I…I'm never gonna see him again…"

"Oh my god…" Colin said, running his hands through his hair in disbelief. "This…this isn't happening…why Nick? Why him…?"

"Guys, we don't have time for this, we have to go! We gotta go back to base!" Nate said, causing Graham to break free of Colleen's grasp and stand up, glaring at the Gold Ranger in pure anger. "Don't look at me like that, Graham, we need to come up with a new strategy in order to beat this guy! We can't just-"

"SHUTUP!" Graham said, stomping over to Nate and grabbing him by the collar. "Do you have any idea what just happened?! I lost my best friend, you insensitive jerk! Don't you get it?! It's over! OVER! He…he's gone and I can never get him-"

"Get ahold of yourself, now!" Nate interrupted, slapping Graham across the face in an attempt to calm him down. "You _cannot_ afford to lose your cool right now! Nick and half the school were absorbed into that sinkhole thing, and we _have_ to find a way to get them back! Sitting here and sulking isn't gonna bring them back!"

"I said shuttup!"

"No, Graham, I won't!" Nate yelled, looking at the Red Ranger as a fire began to form in his eyes. "This isn't you! This isn't the Graham I know! The Graham I know would be brave! The Graham I know wouldn't lose hope! The Graham I know would go back to base, and pray, and train, and then come back and fight with everything he has within him! You know I'm right!"

"I…I…" Graham stammered, releasing the Gold Ranger and looking down at his feet. "I…I…"

"It's okay. Don't talk now," Nate told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go back to base and sort this all out, alright?"

Looking up and taking a shaky breath, Graham gave a small nod, as Colleen and the others looked on in concern and uncertainty.

* * *

Upon returning to HQ, Graham immediately split off from the others, walking down the hall until he found an empty storage room before slipping inside in order to sulk.

Seeing this, Colleen frowned-she couldn't even _begin_ to imagine what he was feeling at the moment. All she knew was that he was in agony, and if they didn't do something soon, he would go over the edge and would never be able to recover.

Deciding that she had to do something, she turned to the others and said, "You guys report to the Captain, I'm gonna go check on Graham."

Hearing this, Colin turned to look at his twin before saying, "Colleen, that's not a good idea…"

"And what, leaving him all by himself is?" She countered, taking a deep breath before continuing. "He thinks he's about to lose his _best friend,_ Colin. Would you wanna be left all alone if that had been Banana?"

"I-"

"Well, would you?" She pressed, to which her twin still couldn't muster up a worthy response. "That's what I thought. And even if you said yes, I know for a _fact_ that if I lost Lettuce I would take all the support I could get. I get that sometimes people need their space, but he's about to give up all hope and I can't just stand here and watch it happen! This is just something that I have to do."

"But…but-"

"Colleen's right, CV." Nate chimed in, placing a hand on his blue counterpart's shoulder. Turning to look at Colleen, he gave her a small nod, saying, "Go on. We'll talk to the Captain."

With that, Nate and Shawn led a reluctant Colin towards the Common Room in order to debrief Captain Shields on the situation, leaving Colleen by herself. Clenching her fist, the girl turned to face the door to the storage room where Graham was before taking a deep breath, trying to muster all the courage within her in order to cross that threshold.

Working up the nerve, she stepped over to the door and gave it a soft knock, hoping and praying that he would hear it.

Frowning as she received no response, the girl knocked again, hearing some sort of sniffling noise as Graham stood up and walked over to the door, opening it from the other side.

Giving him a sympathetic smile, Colleen said, "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Graham replied shakily, wiping the tears from his eyes before opening the door wide enough for her to come in.

Once she had done so, he closed it behind her before walking back to the spot where he had been sitting, up against the wall on the other side of the room. Seeing this, Colleen approached him, using her hands to wipe the dust and dirt off the floor before taking a seat next to him.

Working up the nerve to speak, Colleen said, "How're you holding up?"

"I'm, uh, I'm okay. Sort of." Graham lied, sniffling a little bit as he looked down at his feet. "Okay, not really…truth is, I'm falling apart…I'm scared I'm gonna lose him, Colleen…"

"Have you prayed at all?" The Yellow Ranger asked, prompting him to quickly shake his head no. "Why not?"

"I'm too scared…" Graham told her. "I just…I don't know. I know that God always answers our prayers, but…sometimes he doesn't answer in the way we expect him to. I just…I don't wanna get my hopes up just to lose him anyway."

"So you'd rather just sit around and sulk like he's already gone?" Colleen said rather bluntly. "Graham, I don't wanna strike any nerves when I say this, but that's the _opposite_ of what he'd want you to do. You _have_ to know that."

"Maybe…" Graham mumbled, a few stray tears falling down his cheek. "I just…I don't know, Colleen. I've never had to deal with anything like this…"

"Neither have I. But I know we'll have a better chance at getting through it if we face it together," She told him, reaching for his hand. "Is it okay if I pray with you?"

Looking into her eyes and thinking about it for a minute, Graham took her hand and said, "Sure."

Giving the boy a small smile, Colleen bowed her head and closed her eyes, preparing to pray as Graham followed her lead. Taking a deep breath, she began by saying, "Dear Lord Jesus, we come before you in a time of great need. Our friend, Cheetah Nick, is…he's _trapped_ , God, and he needs our help or he'll be gone forever."

Pausing for a moment to collect herself before continuing, Colleen said, "Jesus, you know the loss we've already felt in our lives. I don't think we can bear to lose anyone else, God…not after what happened with our moms. I know no matter what things will work out in the end, but please…you have to help us save him, God. We know you can do anything exceeding our expectations, Jesus…we believe in you, Jesus, but help our unbelief. Help us to have blind faith in you, and to trust that your ways are the best ways."

Opening her eyes, Colleen turned to look at Graham as he was deep in prayer. Tears were streaming down his face as he spoke in tongues, fear and desperation evident on his face. Looking back down and closing her eyes again, she ended the prayer by saying, "No matter what, just don't let us face this alone...give us the strength to face any outcome, Lord. In Jesus name…Amen."

Wiping the tears from his eyes as he turned to look at his yellow counterpart, Graham said, "Y'know, that's the first time I've heard you actually pray. I mean, I know you came and prayed with me when Colin and Shawn were missing, but you stayed in your own corner and kept to yourself. It's the first time I've actually heard you."

"Same here. I mean, I've seen you pray over food or say really quick prayers during tough missions, but this is the first time I've seen you…well, speak in tongues." She said, letting out a small laugh. "It's obvious this religion stuff is pretty important to you, why aren't you more open about it?"

"I don't know, I just…a lot of people look down on it, y'know? Mr. Kingsley, Matthew, Chase… _Serena-_ "

"Serena?" Colleen asked. "Who's that?"

"Oh, she um…she was, um…" Graham stammered, unable to believe he had just slipped up like that and unsure as to whether or not he should answer. Taking a deep breath, he continued by saying, "Serena's my ex-girlfriend, she um…she wasn't really supportive of the whole 'Apostolic' thing…"

"Oh…that sucks." Colleen told him. "Look, I know we went like ten years without seeing eachother, but we still formed a bond on that day, y'know, and being Rangers and stuff has really made me feel close to you. Basically, what I'm saying is…I may not know you front to back, but I know you well enough to know that God is the most important thing in your life. You deserve to be with someone who not only respects that, but _appreciates_ it."

"You…you think so?"

"Of course." Colleen said. "You're a great guy, Graham…the greatest guy I've ever met, actually."

"R-Really?" Graham asked, receiving a simple nod in return. Blushing a light shade of red, he replied, "T-Thanks…"

"No pro-"

"Hey, um…" Shawn said out of nowhere as he opened the door to the storage room, cutting Colleen off mid-sentence. "I know you guys are kind of in the middle of something, but Nate has an idea for how to get Nick back if you're interested…"

"Say no more!" Colleen said as she attempted to stand up, only to realize she was still holding Graham's hand. Giving it one last reassuring squeeze, she stood to her feet before using the leverage to help the Red Ranger up as well, saying, "C'mon, let's go save your best friend."

* * *

"Alright, good, you're here." Nate said as Graham and Colleen entered the Command Room, where the Gold Ranger and his blue and silver counterparts were huddled over a holographic display of some sort. "I know you may not believe me, but Nick isn't completely gone yet. And I have proof."

"Go on…" Graham said somewhat hesitantly, prompting Nate to pull up what appeared to be footage of the battle with Glassloid. "What is this, a video of our last battle?"

"Yeah, our helmets have built-in cameras, they record everything when we're morphed. Pretty neat, huh?" Nate said. "Never mind, it's not important. Anyway, I was paying really close attention after Colleen left to go help you, and I noticed something weird about Glassloid. He was _counting_."

"You mean…like, numbers?" Shawn asked.

"No, he was counting sheep." Colin said sarcastically, earning him a slug on the shoulder from Colleen. "Oww! Why do you always…?"

"Go on, Nate." Colleen said, causing her twin to roll his eyes.

"Right. Anyway, I was trying to figure out why he was counting when it hit me…he was counting down the progress of a download." Nate revealed, typing in a series of commands on the terminal in order to switch to footage of the sinkhole. "That hourglass on his shoulder? It's an energy-converter. He was using it to turn stuff into energy-students, teachers, debris, and-"

"Nick…" Graham said, his eyes wide in realization. "You mean he's still…?"

"I'm _positive_." Nate told him, switching back to footage of Glassloid before pointing towards the robot's chest. "And _that's_ where he's being held. I saw it glow red right before he warped away. I timed the footage, too-it didn't light up until the _exact_ moment Nick was fully submerged in the sinkhole."

"So, basically, he's turning stuff into fuel which he then absorbs into his stomach?" Shawn asked. "What, is he trying to make his own Enertron?"

"My thoughts _exactly._ " Nate replied. "Now, I don't know for sure, but I saw his tank, and it was only half full. I'm assuming he needs to fill it all the way up before he can turn it all into actual Enertron, which means-"

"We still have time!" Graham shouted, a fiery determination shining in his eyes. "Now all we need is a strategy."

"Yeah, about that…" Nate began rather awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "I haven't had a ton of time to come up with a plan, but I have a vague idea of what we should do. His energy tank is like an hourglass, so if someone were to punch through it, I'm guessing it would shatter and release everything he's collected so far. That's all I've got."

"Eh, not the best plan, but it's worth a shot." Shawn said with a shrug, after which an alarm sounded out over the intercom.

"Good, because you guys just got as good an opportunity as any to try it out," Lieutenant Woods said from his post, typing away at his computer terminal. "Glassloid's attacking the local community college."

Looking to the others, Graham clenched his fist in determination before saying, "Let's go!"

"Right!" The other four replied in unison, all of them determined to get Nick back.

* * *

Over at Starview Heights Community College, students were running and screaming in all different directions as Glassloid stomped his way through campus, looking for the perfect place to set up shop.

Stepping into what appeared to be some kind of gymnasium, the Metaloid scanned the interior, stroking his chin as he sized it up inside his head.

"Yes…this spot should be perfect!" He said.

Reaching for the hourglass on his shoulder, he grabbed it and lifted it above his head, preparing to place it. However, before he could, it was knocked out of his hand by a stray laser blast, causing him to growl in frustration as the gymnasium's side doors slid open to reveal Graham and the others, who were all holding their blaster weapons. Slipping through the opening that the sliding doors allowed, the five slowly approached the Metaloid, keeping their weapons trained on him as they did so.

"Your fun's over, Glassloid!" Graham hollered. "We're taking back the energy you absorbed!"

"Oh really? Give it your best shot!"

"That I will," Graham said, brandishing his Morphin' Brace. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Five-Way Morphing Sequence~**

"Savannah Hunter! Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior! Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper! Buster Yellow!"

"Rhinoceros Power! Buster Gold!"

"Stag Power! Buster Silver!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!"

"Bahahahaha!" Glassloid guffawed, unable to contain his laughter at the sight. "Enter told me you five had a tendency to be flashy, but I had no idea it would be this bad! It's honestly kind of sad!"

Not paying his comment any mind, Graham said, "Objective: Take down Glassloid and retrieve the stolen data at any cost! Ready…?"

"GO!" The other four finished in unison, and together, all five aimed their blaster weapons at Glassloid and began rapidly firing at him, pelting him with laser fire.

"Hey, knock that off!" Glassloid roared as he charged the five, causing them to dive away in different directions before attempting to counter with a series of melee attacks. Grabbing Nate by the arm as he attempted to swing at him, Glassloid dragged him outside, prompting the others to follow them.

Tossing the Gold Ranger on the ground, Glassloid shrugged Shawn off of his shoulders as he attempted to grab him from behind before cancelling out two more attacks from Graham and Colin, who he shoved aside with minimal effort. Rushing him from either side, Colleen and Shawn both performed a sideways kick on the Metaloid, but it had no effect.

Charging him from behind, Graham attempted to pistol-whip the robot, but his attempt was thwarted when Glassloid grabbed him by the arm and dragged the boy in front of him. He then proceeded to knee the boy in the stomach repeatedly, waiting until he doubled over in pain before grabbing him by the shoulders and yanking him back up. He then knocked the Red Ranger onto his back, causing the other four to rush over to him in order to make sure he was alright.

"Graham!" Colin said as he grabbed the boy by the arm, helping him as he struggled back to his feet.

"If we simultaneously attack his hourglass…" Graham said to the others, who nodded in agreement before joining him as he aimed his Spy-Blaster at Glassloid's torso.

However, before they could fire, Glassloid charged up a large blue orb of energy and launched it at the Rangers, causing their suits to spark as the projectile came into contact with them. This caused them to fall down, and as they struggled to stand back up, Glassloid let out an amused cackle, clearly enjoying the rather one-sided battle they were fighting.

"You five may be annoying, but you sure do make me laugh!" The Metaloid chuckled, charging up another orb of energy. "Here, consider this my thanks!"

Launching the second orb at them, he caused them to fall down again; this time, the force of the blast was so great that it caused them to drop their weapons.

* * *

Watching all of this from the Command Room, Lieutenant Woods winced; the attack had been so strong that it was a wonder they were even still morphed! Turning to face Captain Shields, he spoke up, saying, "Captain, you gotta get them out of there! Give the order to retreat!"

"No can do," Captain Shields replied, causing the Lieutenant to tilt his head in confusion. "Graham and the others will definitely defeat that Metaloid. I'm sure they vowed to do it when they saw it happen."

* * *

Struggling to his knees as Glassloid looked on in slight disbelief, Graham mustered up the strength to say, "We'll…we'll definitely restore them!"

"What we were powerless to stop ten years ago…" Colin chimed in, clenching his fist as he pulled himself into a crouching position.

"We won't sit back and watch it happen to someone else now!" Colleen finished, her voice full of determination.

With that, the three rose to their feet, and Graham pulled out his Buddy Visor, which he proceeded to carefully attach to the front of his Morphin' Brace.

"Set!" An electronic voice said, emitting itself from the Buddy Visor as it snapped onto his morpher with a metal click.

"Nick…" Graham began. "That's what you were thinking, right? That's why you said…"

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _Graham!" Cheetah Nick yelled as he began sliding down the sinkhole, causing Graham to panic as he attempted to grab onto the Buddy-Roid. "You know what to do, right? You'd better…you'd better restore this place!"_

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

Looking at his left hand as he slowly balled it into a fist, Graham gave a small nod before rushing forward, running as fast as he could towards Glassloid. Seeing this, Colin and Colleen raised their Spy-Blasters, using them to provide covering fire for the Red Ranger as he stormed towards his target.

Using his right arm to deflect the laser-blasts, Glassloid fired one of his own at Graham, who simply ran right through it, unwilling to falter in any way, shape, or form. Growling in anger, he was about to charge another attack, but was cut off by Nate and Shawn, who grabbed him by the arms and held him in place, preventing him from moving.

"Y'know, I'm kind of insulted that you forgot about us!" Nate said.

"Yeah, me too!" Shawn added, as Graham came closer and closer to Glassloid, shouting at the top of his lungs as he neared his goal.

Reeling back his left arm as he finally reached his foe, Graham sent his left fist crashing into Glassloid's torso, causing it to glow a light magenta color as the glass portion was busted open. Seeing this, Graham said, "Nick, come back!" before pressing a button on top of his Buddy Visor.

This caused it the same electronic voice to say, "Are you ready?" as he pulled his arm out of Glassloid's chest, procuring a shape that heavily resembled Cheetah Nick. The Buddy-Roid flew through the air for a split-second before turning into ones and zeroes of binary code, which sunk into the Buddy Visor, as more energy came spilling out of Glassloid, restoring the middle school a few miles away.

As the Metaloid sputtered in utter disbelief, Graham lifted his left arm diagonally upwards before bringing it back down, clenching his left fist as tightly as he could. Lifting his arm to his chest so that his Morphin' Brace and Buddy Visor were right in front of him, he pressed both of their side-buttons, causing them to open up simultaneously.

"Buddy Armor Mode: Engage!" Graham hollered, pressing the two buttons for a second time before stretching out his right arm behind him as pieces of red metallic armor came flying out of the Buddy Visor, attaching themselves to his suit in order to upgrade it exponentially.

Out of nowhere, he heard Nick, who spoke up, saying, "Graham! I'm back."

"Glad to hear it, buddy." Graham said, tilting his head slightly to the side in order to talk to his Buddy-Roid, who now made up the extra armor he was wearing.

"Why, you…how dare you release all that energy I gathered?!" Glassloid squawked, anger and frustration rising up from inside him. Meanwhile, Colin and Colleen's Morphin' Braces went off, instantly gaining the two's attention.

"Colin, Colleen, I've got good news." Lieutenant Rose said from the comm-link. "Prof. Tennet finished your visors, use your Transpods and we'll send them over."

"Roger that!" The two twins said in unison, each hitting a button on their Transpods and grabbing their Buddy Visors as they materialized in the air in front of them. They then proceeded to attach them to their morphers, causing them to emit the same confirmation noise that Graham's did.

Back at HQ, Banana and Lettuce shuffled into their respective pods, which turned them into data that was then sent through the teleportation grid and into their human counterparts' Buddy Visors.

"Buddy Armor Mode: Engage!" The Blue and Yellow Rangers hollered in unison, activating their new equipment and gaining access to their new mode.

"Colin, it worked!" Banana said from within the Blue Ranger's new armor.

"Good work," Colin told him.

"Let's beat him together, princess!" Lettuce said from within his human counterpart's new armor, causing her to nod in agreement.

"Right!"

Stepping forward, the two joined Graham's side, as Glassloid looked on, completely flabbergasted at this turn of events.

Getting over his initial shock, the Metaloid raised his arms to signal a new batch of Buglars, which he commanded by saying, "Buglars! Finish them!"

Standing up in order to watch as the Buglars charged his friends' position, Shawn was startled when Nate grabbed him by the shoulders and moved him over, saying, "Out of the way, I can't see!"

With that, Graham and the twins went to work, using their newly-amplified metahuman abilities to battle the Buglars.

The Red Ranger's superspeed had now been enhanced to the point where he could teleport at will, allowing him to warp from place to place and sneak up on the robotic footsoldiers, using his Spy-Saber to stealthily dispatch them one at a time.

Meanwhile, Colin was using his newly upgraded superstrength to great effect. Placing his hand on the side of a nearby building, he somehow managed to use material-osmosis to slide one of the metal beams out; he then proceeded to use the metal beam as a weapon which he repeatedly swung at the Buglars that were surrounding him until they were finished.

Finally, Colleen used her newly strengthened superagility to literally run in mid-air, kicking the majority of the Buglars on the head in order to take them out while using her Spy-Blaster to quickly dispose of the rest.

Over on the other side of the battlefield, Nate and Shawn quickly used martial arts to defeat the remaining footsoldiers, looking on in awe at their friends and their newfound abilities.

Trembling in anger as the trio of upgraded Rangers moved to stand in front of him, Glassloid charged up another large orb of energy, which he launched at them while saying, "You bastards!"

However, the three simply stood their ground, using their new armor to shrug off the attack as if it were nothing.

Leaping into the air, Colleen used her extended jumping power to evade small laser-blasts from Glassloid; she eventually came gliding back down while spinning around, delivering a flying kick to the Metaloid's chest that sent him staggering backwards.

Seeing this, Colin ran up behind him and bent down to the ground, using his material-osmosis to procure a large rock from underground. Lifting it above his head, he used his superstrength to lob the object at Glassloid, causing an explosion of data on impact which sent him flying sideways.

Struggling up to his feet, Glassloid looked up just in time to see Graham, who lifted his morpher to his chest before pressing the button on top of his Buddy Visor again. This caused orange rings of data to form in front of the Red Ranger as he took a fighting stance.

"Volcanick Attack!" He and Cheetah Nick shouted in unison, as he ran through the energy rings, causing him to momentarily vanish and be replaced by an energy-incarnation of a cheetah.

Letting out a roar, the cheetah ran right through the Metaloid before vanishing, being replaced by Graham as he slid to a stop on the other side of Glassloid.

"This…can't be happening!" Glassloid screamed at the top of his lungs, as his armor began sparking. Seconds later, he exploded, as Colin and Colleen stood on either side of Graham, watching the spectacle.

With the Metaloid gone, Graham and the twins pressed the buttons on their Buddy Visors again, causing them to separate from their Buddy-Roids and revert back to their standard Ranger forms.

"We did it!" Cheetah Nick said, being caught off guard slightly when Graham crushed him in a giant hug.

"I thought I lost you, Nick." Graham told him, his voice indicating he was shedding tears of joy underneath his helmet. "I'm glad to have you back, buddy."

"I'm glad to _be_ back." Nick said, returning the hug and patting his human counterpart on the back.

And so, Graham and the others began to celebrate amongst themselves, as Enter looked on from a nearby rooftop, clenching his fist in utter anger.

"If I had enough Enertron right now, I'd bring Glassloid back and have him squash you like bugs…" He said to himself. "But no matter…Monsieur Psycho has other plans for you, I'm sure."

With that, he warped away, leaving the five Rangers and three Buddy-Roids alone to celebrate their latest victory.

"They did it…" Lieutenant Woods said, a smile forming on his face. "They actually did it!"

"Was there any ever any doubt, Lieutenant?" Captain Shields asked.

"Y-Y-Yes and no…" Martin mumbled, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment. Seeing this, Lieutenant Rose giggled, causing him to blush slightly. "Oh c'mon, give me a break, will ya?"

"No way, José." Lieutenant Rose replied, giving her cohort a flirtatious grin. "Not as long as I live."

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

"So…" Cheetah Nick began as he and Graham walked down the driveway towards the latter's house. "Are you sure it's okay for me to be here?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?" Graham said, causing Nick to give him a look. "Okay, okay, I know, Aunt Tammy's taking a little while to come around on the whole Ranger thing, but she's still supportive! Besides, at the end of the day, you're my best friend, Nick. My family should be happy to have you."

"I suppose so…" Nick said slowly, still sounding unsure of himself. Following Graham as he walked up the steps to the front porch, he waited as his human counterpart knocked on the front door, causing a voice from inside the house to speak.

"Who is it?" Aunt Tammy asked.

"It's me, Graham!" The Red Ranger said. "And I brought a friend with me!"

"Okay, I'll be right there!" Aunt Tammy said as she walked over to the front door and unlocked it, opening it to see Graham and his Buddy-Roid. "I see…so, this must be that robot they built for you, huh?"

"Yep," Graham said with a nod, turning to face Nick before saying, "Nick, this is my Aunt Tammy. Aunt Tammy, this is Cheetah Nick. He's my Buddy-Roid…and my best friend."

"Uh…h-hi there, Mrs. Glover." Nick said shyly, giving the woman a small wave. "P-Pleasure to meet you…"

Giving the robot a warm smile, she said, "The pleasure's all mine," before ushering the two inside, where she called the rest of the family into the kitchen in order to eat and chat with the new arrival.

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

 _ **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, Graham, Colin, and Colleen can be seen in a large, gray expanse, all three of them watching a recording of their mothers' deaths with solemn looks on their faces. Out of nowhere, raindrops begin to fall, filling the screen with color as the vocals start.*)**_

 _ **~Take a breath, take a long look around before you step,**_

 _ **Cuz the tide is coming, swallowing the ground.~**_

 _ **(*Graham whips his head around desperately as water begins to fill the room, threatening to drown the three teens. Beating on the walls, he tries to break free, to no avail*)**_

 _ **~And there's no way to tell if we will drown tonight,**_

 _ **Or we'll be found tonight.~**_

 _ **(*An image of Graham, Colin, and Colleen's dead bodies drifting along in the water can be seen, only to disappear a moment later, the whole thing being revealed as a nightmare as Graham sits up in bed, screaming.*)**_

 _ **~So come in close, if the current gets us, then it get us both,**_

 _ **We can't wait here anymore.~**_

 _ **(*As Graham walks down the sidewalk, he spots Colleen off in the distance. Gazing at her longingly, he rushes over to her, only for a wall of solid energy to separate them, causing him to frown. The Vaglass come out of nowhere, storming the area and firing at them both. The two look up, realizing they have no choice but to fight.*)**_

 _ **~So if the waves come, let 'em take us,**_

 _ **As they cover you and me, and they pull us underneath.~**_

 _ **(*Graham, Colin, and Colleen rush to fight the Buglars, instantly morphing as they punch and kick the footsoldiers into submission. Seeing Enter, Graham charges him, slashing wildly. However, he is thrown onto his back by the Avatar, who walks up to him, pointing a laser pistol at his head. Demorphing, Graham grimaces, accepting his defeat.*)**_

 _ **~I hope that fate will forgive us, for tempting the sea,**_

 _ **I hope that they won't forget us!~**_

 _ **(*Graham turns to Colin and Colleen as the three are dragged into Hyperspace by Enter. No doubt, the three are to be executed for opposing the Vaglass. Bowing his head, Graham prays a desperate prayer, as Colleen looks at him, a single tear running down her cheek.*)**_

 _ **~No, we can't go back,**_

 _ **To the way it used to be.~**_

 _ **(*Waking up on the grass, Graham stands up, realizing it was all another dream. Looking to his right, he sees Colin and Colleen, the latter of the two waving him over with a smile. Taking a quick look at a picture of his mother in his pocket, Graham puts it away before joining his friends, a smile on his face despite himself. Seeing this, Colin pats him on the back, and Colleen reaches for his hand. Graham nervously takes it, squeezing it lightly as the three friends walk towards the sunset, the song ending as the camera pans away.*)**_

 ***End Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **A/N:** And…done. Whoo, that one was a bit of a doozy. Took me awhile to find the inspiration due to a couple of personal issues I've been going through (don't wanna go into a ton of detail but I'll just say I kinda got my heart broken over the weekend), but I finally managed to crank this out and mold it into something I can say I'm definitely proud of. Anyway, what'd you guys think? Feel free to let me known in the review box below, and as always, stay tuned for the next one! (Oh, and for those of you who may be worried about Nate and Shawn's effectiveness now that Graham and the twins have new toys and they don't, have no fear. Gold and Silver will be getting an upgrade of their own rather shortly.)

With that out of the way, I don't have much else to say, so here's the preview for the next episode. Take care! (Please review! Lol)

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters** : _The romantic tension between Lieutenants Woods and Rose comes to a head when they are assigned to escort Nate and Shawn on a stakeout. Forced to pose as a family staying at a hotel, the four must deal with the awkwardness that comes with the gig while also trying to investigate suspected Vaglass activity in a factory across the street. Can they do it? Find out, in_ **Episode 13: Stakeout!**


	13. Ep 13: Stakeout

**A/N:** Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took so long; I got a new tablet that runs Windows 10 as opposed to Windows RT like my old one, so I've been kind of getting used to the new OS/goofing off with some old PC games on Steam. (Namely, Half-Life 1 and Deus Ex, which are both fantastic. Got 'em for a fantastic price, too. Seriously, Steam sales are amazing!) I've also been dealing with off/on depression, so there's that. Anyway, enough excuses, here's the chapter. I hope you guys like it. Please review!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

It was a quiet night at Sister Catherine's Orphanage. There was a simple stillness in the air, as seventeen year old Nate McLeod sat at his desk, in the room he shared with his best friend and fellow ranger Shawn.

Like most nights, he had stayed up past lights-out, opting to goof off his laptop instead of going to sleep like everyone else. Typing away quietly at his keyboard, he practiced hacking into various different programs, something he did often in order to keep his skills razor sharp. He also did it as a nice little form of catharsis; his double life as a high school senior _and_ a Power Ranger could be rather stressful at times, and the simple beeps and boops that his computer emitted as he cracked holes in various mainframes seemed to soothe him.

Letting out a yawn as he finished practicing, the Gold Ranger was about to turn off his laptop and go to bed for the night when he heard a blood-curdling scream, which came from directly behind him.

Realizing it was Shawn without even having to look back, Nate quickly closed his laptop before whipping around and bolting out of his chair, rushing over to his friend's bedside in order to check on him.

"Shawn, it's okay!" Nate said, grabbing the Silver Ranger by the shoulders and lightly shaking him in an attempt to wake him up from whatever night terror he appeared to be having. "It's just a nightmare!"

Turning his head just in time to see the door open, Nate saw Sister Catherine, the head nun of the orphanage, who spoke, saying, "Just what is going on in here, Nate?"

"It's Shawn, he's having a night terror," Nate explained rather quickly, turning his attention back to the boy in question before saying, "C'mon, Shawn, wake up! It's just a nightmare; it isn't real, so wake up!"

Opening his eyes, Shawn jumped back in a panic, having clearly been started by this. Taking a series of shallow, shaky breaths as he slowly came to his senses, the boy wrapped his arms around his knees, rocking back and forth as he attempted to calm himself down.

Seeing this, Sister Catherine said, "Shawn, dear, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm f-fine…" Shawn stammered, reaching up to wipe the cold sweat from his brow.

"You've been taking your medication, haven't you?" She asked, a look of skepticism on her face. "This is the fourth incident this week."

"Yeah, I've been taking them, it's just…I don't know, the nightmares just keep coming."

"Maybe we need to up the dosage…" Nate said quietly.

"Absolutely not." Sister Catherine replied. "That would be too dangerous. Besides, I know the ones we have now work. Shawn, I need you to be honest with me-have you been taking them?"

"I've been taking them, I swear." Shawn said, the look in his eyes indicating he was telling the truth.

However, she still wasn't convinced. Shaking her head, she turned to leave the room, saying, "Well, I guess I'll believe you, but it seems rather odd that the medicine would just stop working. I will _think_ about asking the doctors to increase the dosage. For now, just try and go back to sleep."

With that, she exited the room, shutting the door behind her and leaving Nate and Shawn alone. Turning back to look at Shawn, Nate reached up to adjust his glasses before speaking.

"You really took the pill?"

"Why wouldn't I have?" Shawn questioned, sounding somewhat annoyed. "You think I _wanna_ have nightmares?"

"Okay, I believe you, just calm down." Nate told him. "I guess they're just not strong enough, anymore. Maybe it has something to do with your hyper-detection?"

"Could be. Our metahuman abilities do affect our bodies in a lotta weird ways…" Shawn mused. "I just wish Sister Catherine understood."

"Yeah, me too. Honestly, she's a little cold." Nate replied. "I'm starting to hate it here…"

"If you hate it so much, why don't we go somewhere else?" Shawn questioned. "I mean, you have all the tools necessary."

"Maybe so, but this is the only orphanage in the city that accepts kids our age," Nate pointed out.

"What if it didn't have to be an orphanage…?" Shawn asked him. "What if we could…y'know, find a real family?"

"Shawn, you…you know I can't just hack our way into a family." Nate said somewhat hesitantly. "Trust me, I would've done it already if I could. As for getting adopted…I mean, it'd be really great, but-"

"I know, we're too old." Shawn cut him off, folding his arms. "You don't have to walk on eggshells, I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't have to protect me from the truth."

"I know, I just…" Nate trailed off, unable to think of what to say. "I know you just wanna be normal, but that's just not the hand we were dealt. Having a real family is just something that isn't in the cards for us, but it doesn't matter, because…we have eachother. We may not be related, but we're brothers. Y'know that, don't you?"

"Of course," Shawn replied honestly. "You're…you're right. I know you are. I'm just a little shaken up, that's all…"

"Alright," Nate said, even though he knew he was lying. "Well, we should probably get some sleep. Love you, man."

"Love you too," Shawn said, letting out a yawn. "G'night."

"Goodnight," Nate replied, standing up and walking over to his own bed. Laying down and slipping under the covers, the Gold Ranger took off his glasses and laid them on his night stand, setting an alarm on his phone before laying it underneath his pillow.

He then proceeded to drift off to sleep, trying not to let the weight of everything bring him down.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, at HQ…_

Lieutenant Woods stifled a yawn as he sat at his station, exhaustion beginning to set in after a long day of tedious, boring work. Nearly falling asleep and only _barely_ snapping his eyes open before his forehead slammed against his keyboard, the young man backed his chair away from his desk and stood up, deciding to go stretch his legs and get a cup of coffee.

Walking out of the Command Room, he crossed the hall and stopped at the alcove where the coffee machine was set up. Taking out the pot and filling it up with water, he then put it back onto the drip tray and began to brew the coffee.

"Tired?" A voice asked from out of nowhere, startling the Lieutenant slightly. Looking over his shoulder as he got over the initial shock, he saw Lieutenant Rose, who was now standing behind him, an amused smile forming on her face.

"You could say that," Lieutenant Woods replied. "How about you?"

"Yeah, I'm starting to feel a little sluggish, myself." Lieutenant Rose said with a yawn. "Figured I'd stretch my legs a bit before I get back to the paperwork."

"Looks like we both had the same idea, then." Lieutenant Woods said right as the coffee machine emitted an electronic beep, indicating that the coffee had finished brewing. Pulling the pot back out of the machine, he turned back to look at her before saying, "Want some coffee?"

"Sure," She said with a smile, prompting him to reach up and open the cabinet above his head in order to procure two coffee mugs.

Filling them both with coffee, he handed her one before adding milk and sugar to the other one. Lifting his mug up to his mouth, he blew on the liquid to cool it down slightly before taking a sip.

"Ah," He sighed in contentment, putting his mug down on the counter before continuing with, "Man, that really hits the spot."

"Sure does," Lieutenant Rose nodded in agreement, having taken a sip from her own mug. "I don't think I've been that tired since Basic."

"Yeah, Basic Training was pretty killer…" Lieutenant Woods mused in response. "I can't even begin to tell you how many times I almost fell asleep while I was in Champion's Rock."

Looking up at him in slight surprise, Lieutenant Rose replied, "You did your Basic Training in Champion's Rock?"

"Ahuh."

"No way, so did I!" Lieutenant Rose chirped. "By any chance, did you train under Sergeant Camp-"

"Sergeant Campbell, yep." Lieutenant Woods confirmed with a nod. "And you?"

"I was there, too." Lieutenant Rose told him, as a gigantic grin began to form on her face. "I've always wondered why you looked so familiar but now I think I know; I'm pretty sure I met you that week."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Lieutenant Rose told him. "It was our first day and I heard someone fall, and then-"

"Feeling tired, you two?" Captain Shields said while approaching the alcove, cutting Lieutenant Rose off and startling both her and her cohort, as they were too busy talking to notice him coming.

"Yeah, something like that," Lieutenant Woods mumbled, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "The upper brass _really_ know how to pile on the paperwork."

" _That they do..."_ Captain Shields murmured under his breath, clearing his throat before continuing. "Anyway, do the two of you have a minute? There's something we need to talk about."

"Uh…" Lieutenant Woods stammered, glancing back at Lieutenant Rose before saying, "Sure, we can spare some time. Go ahead, boss."

"Actually, Martin, this matter is kind of classified to lower-ranking personnel, so if it's all the same to you, we should go to my office."

"Of course." Lieutenant Rose said, giving her commanding officer a small nod. "Lead the way, Captain."

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**

 **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**

 **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**

 **(*Shots of all five Rangers flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, Colleen is riding a bike, Nate is writing something in a journal, and Shawn is playing a handheld videogame console. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**

 **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**

 **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**

 **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**

 **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**

 **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**

 **(*A now teenage Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist as the others follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, with the other four quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the five spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**

 **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**

 **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**

 **(*A shot of the five Rangers piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot is shown. Gripping the controls, they each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**

 **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**

 **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**

 **(*The scene transitions to show Graham and the others standing side by side, all five of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the five instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, they all rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 13: Stakeout**

 _Twelve Hours Later…_

"Are we there yet?" Shawn asked from the backseat of a black car, which was being driven by Lieutenant Woods.

Shifting around out of restlessness, he bumped into Nate, who was sitting beside him.

Taking a deep breath, Nate said, "Would you quit moving? That's like, the third time you've bumped into me."

"Sorry…" Shawn replied, rubbing the back of his head. Looking towards the front seat, he repeated his question, saying, "Well, are we?"

Sensing the boy's anxiousness from the passenger's seat where she sat, Lieutenant Rose spoke up, saying, "I'm sure we'll be there soon, you two. Try and take it easy."

"Fine…" Shawn huffed somewhat impatiently, folding his arms and casting his gaze out the window.

On the other side of the car, Nate rolled his eyes and pulled out a book. Opening it, he began to read silently, as the car continued to make its way down the road towards its destination.

Feeling the tension between the two, Lieutenant Woods let out a quiet sigh, while thinking to himself, _How did I end up here…?_ He then began to cast his mind back to twelve hours prior, when Captain Shields had summoned him and Lieutenant Rose for a top secret meeting…

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _Alright boss, we're alone now." Lieutenant Woods said as he and Lieutenant Rose filed into the Captain's office, the latter closing and locking the door behind them. "What did you wanna talk about?"_

" _Well if you'd let me, I'd get to that." Captain Shields replied, prompting Martin to rub the back of his head in embarrassment. He then continued, saying, "Over the course of the past week, the police have received several noise complaints regarding a downtown Enertron factory. A couple days ago, those noise complaints were followed up by a civilian tip-some guy walking down the street said he saw some strange activity going on outside."_

" _What kind of strange activity?"_

" _The guy didn't say much, just that he spotted some rather shady looking guys in trenchcoats trying to sneak inside. Apparently, they made mechanical clanking noises when they walked." Captain Shields told him. "Anyway, the SHPD immediately tried to investigate, but the owner of the factory denied them entry, and has been acting suspiciously ever since. They're working on getting a search warrant, but have apparently hit some legal troubles, so they've requested our assistance in the meantime."_

" _So…what does any of this have to do with us?"_

" _We believe that the Vaglass are targeting the fac_ _ility_ _, and have somehow blackmailed the owner into cooperating with them. The police have asked that we investigate the matter, but since the factory owner won't let anyone inside, we have to play it covert. Therefore, I believe a stakeout is in order."_

" _Interesting…where from?"_

" _There's a small hotel directly across from the factory, and one of the rooms' windows give a perfect view of each of its entrances." Captain Shields explained. "The room was previously booked, but we managed to contact the people that reserved it and they cancelled said reservation in exchange for compensation. However,_ _if the Vaglass are really behind this, they'll definitely be keeping a close eye on the surrounding area, so_ _in order to avoid suspicion, we have to make it look as if nothing has changed._

" _And how exactly do we do that…?"_

" _Simple." Captain Shields explained. "You and Lieutenant Rose are going to pose as a couple."_

" _C-C-Couple?!" Lieutenant Rose stammered, blushing bright pink. "Y-You mean, Martin and I_ _are gonna_ _pretend to be-"_

" _Pretty much, yeah." The Captain replied. "The people who reserved the room were a married couple, and they looked very similar to the two of you. Therefore, since the main idea is to play it up like nothing has changed, I figured you two would be the best ones for the job."_

" _Okay then. I guess I can handle that," Lieutenant Woods said nonchalantly, clearing his throat in an attempt to hide a blush of his own. "I mean, we both work well enough together, so it shouldn't be that bad. Besides, it's not like we have another option, right?"_

" _I think you should finish hearing me out before you agree to anything, Martin." Captain Shields said. "See, you two won't be the only ones participating in this stakeout. The couple you're posing as also has two teenage children, and they were going to bring said children with them on this trip, meaning we need to find someone to pose as them, as well. Luckily enough, two of our Rangers bear a striking resemblance. So, my question to you two is…are you ready to become parents?"_

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

Sighing once more as he recalled the chain of events that had led up to this point, Lieutenant Woods cast his gaze to the sky, temporarily losing focus on the road as the car he was driving came up to a red light.

Seeing this, Lieutenant Rose put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Martin, keep your eyes on the road. We're about to run a red light."

"Oh, uh, sorry…" He replied somewhat awkwardly, putting his foot on the brake and applying a light amount of pressure, causing the car to slowly come to a halt.

"Don't be, just pay attention to the road, alright?" Lieutenant Rose said, leaning over slightly before saying, "Make a left, here."

Feeling his face heat up as he realized how close she was getting, Lieutenant Woods said, "R-Right. Thanks, Alicia."

"No problem," Lieutenant Rose said nonchalantly, as the light turned green, allowing Lieutenant Woods to turn left into the parking lot of a hotel. "Looks like this is the place."

"It would appear so," Lieutenant Woods mused, pulling into an open parking space and putting the car into park before turning off the engine. Turning around to face the backseat, he addressed the boys, saying, "You guys ready to go?"

Receiving small nods in return, Martin turned to the passenger seat and said, "What about you, Alicia? Are you ready?"

"Yep. Lead the way."

Hearing this, the Lieutenant opened the trunk before removing the keys from the ignition; he then proceeded to open his door and get out before closing it. Walking to the other side of the vehicle, he opened the passenger side door for Alicia and waited for his cohort to get out before closing it behind her. Finally, he opened the back door, enabling Nate and Shawn to step out of the car and stretch their legs for what felt like the first time in ages.

"Man, this is the only time I'll ever say this, but I actually _really_ missed walking," Shawn said with a chuckle, pacing around in a small circle for a few moments while simultaneously stretching his arms. "Being cooped up in a car sucks."

"You don't know the half of it, Shawn." Nate replied matter-of-factly, reaching up to adjust his glasses so that they sat better on his nose. "After all, you weren't the one who got bumped into every five seconds."

"Yeah, well maybe if you hadn't taken the window seat, I wouldn't have been so uncomfortable." Shawn shot back.

"Window seat…? You had a window seat, Shawn! Neither of us sat in the middle!"

"I meant the right window seat! You know I get restless when I sit on the left side of a car!"

"Since _when?"_ Nate asked in exasperation.

Seeing the petty argument between the two was beginning to escalate, Lieutenant Rose put her arm in-between them and said, "Boys, you need to calm down a bit, okay? I know the ride here was a little lengthy, but that's no reason to get feisty with one-another, especially not over something silly."

"You…you're right." Shawn replied meekly, taking a shallow breath before saying, "Sorry for shifting around so much, Nate."

"It's okay. I get restless on long car rides, too..." Nate said awkwardly. It was obvious by the look on his face that he felt bad for snapping at his silver counterpart.

Seeing them patch up after their little brotherly argument, Lieutenant Woods clapped his hands together and said, "Well, now that that's over with, what say we get our luggage and check in, huh, gang?"

This was followed by an awkward pause, after which Shawn tilted his head in confusion and said, "Um…why are you talking like that?"

" _I'm playing along, Shawn!"_ Martin whispered sharply, leaning into the boy's ear so he could hear him. " _We're posing as a family, remember…?"_

" _Oh, right…"_ Shawn said with a laugh, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Martin!" Lieutenant Rose said in a rather chipper voice, practically pouncing on her cohort before resting her head on his shoulder. "I just _love_ these big ideas of yours."

" _Umm…w-what are you d-doing?"_ Lieutenant Woods stammered, a tinge of bright red dusting his cheeks.

" _It's like you said."_ Lieutenant Rose whispered back, as she and Martin made their way to the hotel entrance. " _I'm playing along."_

" _R-Right…"_ Martin said, letting out a nervous chuckle. Meanwhile, Nate and Shawn stayed where they were; both teens had their arms crossed and were watching the two with confused expressions on their faces.

"Why are they acting so weird…?" Shawn asked, his tone full of child-like innocence.

"I don't know, but I'm more concerned with the fact that they just left _us_ to carry in all the bags." Nate scoffed, reaching into the trunk and grabbing two suitcases, one of which he handed to Shawn. "C'mon, maybe if we take long enough, they'll remember we exist and come back to help."

* * *

"Hello, sir." One of the hotel receptionists said from behind the front desk, as Martin and Alicia entered the lobby. "How may I help you?"

"I-I um, I'm here to check in to the room I r-reserved for the weekend." Lieutenant Woods stammered, growing more and more flustered on account of the fact that Lieutenant Rose was hugging his arm, meaning that the two were in quite close proximity. "My name is M-M-"

"Sir, are you feeling alright?" The woman questioned, tilting her head in slight concern. "Your face looks really red right now."

"Oh, I um-"

"Oh, he's fine." Lieutenant Rose said, interrupting her cohort mid-stammer. "Just a little tired from all the work he's been doing, lately. As for his face, he has really delicate skin, so he burns really easily, especially when he's out in the sun all day."

"I see..." The woman observed. "And you are?"

"Oh, how rude of me. I'm Alexis Wilson, and this is my husband, Michael." Lieutenant Rose replied, using the names of the couple that she and Martin were supposed to be posing as. "Like he said, we've reserved a room for the weekend, and we'd like to check in."

"I see. Well, let's get started with that process right away." The woman said, turning to her computer and typing in a series of commands into it via the keyboard. "I see here that you've reserved a room with multiple beds. Are you traveling with someone else, or-"

"No, we brought our sons along, as well. Their father and I have been really busy the past few months, so we decided to take a vacation in order to grow closer as a family." 'Alexis' explained, conveniently just as Nate and Shawn entered the lobby and walked up behind them. Turning to them, she said, "Oh, there you are, boys. Funny, I was just talking about you."

"That is pretty funny, _mom_." Nate replied, a hint of annoyance in his tone due to him and Shawn having to carry in all the luggage by themselves. "Do you have the keys to the car? Shawn and I need to lock it now that we're done carrying in the bags."

"Oh, right. Let me see..." 'Alexis' said, reaching into her pockets in order to check before saying, "Sorry, Nate, I don't seem to have them. Your father probably does, though."

"Yeah, I've got them right here." 'Michael' said somewhat awkwardly, reaching into his pocket and procuring the keys to the car, which he then handed to Nate. "Here you go, son."

"Thanks, dad. I'll be right back." Nate said with an equal feeling of awkwardness, turning to leave the lobby with Shawn in tow.

"Well that's really responsible of him..." The receptionist mused, as 'Alexis' turned back to face her. "How old are they?"

"They'll both be eighteen in a couple of months. They're fraternal twins." 'Alexis' ad-libbed.

"I see." The receptionist said, a look of slight amazement forming on her face as she continued with, "You two look really young for your age, then."

"Oh, why thank you!" 'Alexis' said with a laugh. "We actually get that quite a bit."

"I'll bet. Anyway, if you don't mind, I need you two to sign some of this paperwork before you pay for your room." The receptionist said, placing a sheet of paper onto the desk in front of them before placing a pen directly next to it. "I'll need your names, address, dates of birth, and a form of identification, please."

"Absolutely, just give me a second." 'Michael' chimed in, reaching into his wallet in order to procure the fake ID that Captain Shields had provided him with. "Here you go."

"Here's mine, as well." 'Alexis' said, reaching into her purse and pulling out the fake ID the Captain had given her. She then handed said ID to the receptionist as she continued to sign the paperwork.

"Thank you. I'll run these through the system, real quick." The receptionist told them, as she proceeded to scan the two IDs in order to verify them. Seeing that everything checked out, she handed the two IDs back to them before saying, "Well, everything seems to be in order. Just finish the paperwork and we'll move right onto the payment."

"Yes mam," 'Alexis' said with a smile, filling out her portion of the paperwork before handing the pen to 'Michael'.

Once he had filled out his half, she handed the paper back to the receptionist, who took it and signed it herself before placing it into a file of some sort. She then proceeded to assist 'Michael' in the payment process, scanning his credit card and using it to complete the transaction. They were all set, now.

Seeing this, the receptionist handed the credit card back to them. She then proceeded to grab a room key before saying, "Alright, you're all set, guys. Here's your room key. If you any questions or you need a spare key or anything like that, don't hesitate to use the phone to call us or just come down to the front desk and ask us in person. I hope you have a nice stay."

"Thank you." 'Michael' said, taking the room key as Nate and Shawn walked back into the lobby. Turning around to face the two, he said, "Looks like you're just in time, boys. We're all set."

With that, the four gathered their luggage and made their way towards the elevator. Wrapping her arm around her 'husband', Lieutenant Rose gave him a quick peck on the cheek for show, unknowingly causing Lieutenant Woods to blush bright red as they waited for the elevator to arrive.

* * *

"Well, here we are..." Lieutenant Woods said somewhat awkwardly as he unlocked the door to their hotel room. Swinging the door open and standing off to the side, he said, "This'll be our little home for the weekend."

"Hey, this isn't too bad," Nate observed as he walked inside, adjusting his glasses with his thumb as he surveyed the room.

"You're telling me!" Shawn hollered excitedly, rushing over to the other end of the room before saying, "This place is _awesome_!"

"Yeah, you did a great job picking out the hotel. Thanks, babe." Lieutenant Rose said, kissing Lieutenant Woods on the cheek as she entered the room. This caused his face to flush once more, as he reached for the doorknob.

"Well, you're uh, you're welcome, sweetheart." He mumbled, waiting until the door was closed before dropping the act. "Listen, Alicia, I know you're just trying to keep up the illusion, but we're not in the lobby anymore, so you don't have to pretend right now."

"Aw c'mon, Martin, I'm just having fun with it." Lieutenant Rose said, folding her arms as she turned to look at her cohort. "Aren't you the one who always says I need to loosen up?"

"Well, yeah, but...nevermind, it's not important." Lieutenant Woods said, deciding to drop it for the time being. "Anyway, now that we're here, we should probably start setting up the equipment."

"Already got ya covered," Nate said from across the room, not even looking up from his laptop as he did so. Gesturing over to the window, he said, "I've got mini-cameras hooked up to the window, recording software going on the laptop, and as an added bonus, I'm gonna tap into the factory's speaker system once I'm done cracking their firewall."

"How long do you think that'll take?"

"Only a couple of seconds," Nate told him, tapping a few more keys before pointing to the screen and saying, "Alright, we're all set."

"Wow, you're pretty good at that hacking stuff, huh Nate?" Lieutenant Rose said, impressed by the teen's affinity for technology. "How long have you been doing stuff like this?"

"Pretty much since I was old enough to get on the computer." Nate said without skipping a beat. "Microsoft shut down the original Xbox Live right after we got an Xbox, and Shawn was really upset he couldn't play Halo 2 online anymore. I had my own servers for the game up and running less than a week later."

 _Huh. Interesting._ Lieutenant Woods thought to himself.

"Anyway, like I said, we're pretty much all set. Now all we have to do is sit and wait for something suspicious to happen," Nate told them, turning the desk chair he was sitting in so that it faced away from his laptop before pulling out the book he had been reading on the car ride there.

"Alright then! If you guys don't mind, I'm gonna check out what's on TV!" Shawn said, hopping off of the bed he had been lounging on and grabbing the remote. Pointing it towards the television and pressing the 'on' button only for nothing to happen, the Silver Ranger tilted his head in confusion, saying, "What the…? Nate, what's the matter with this thing? It won't turn on."

Rolling his eyes before closing book and standing up, Nate said, "I'm sure the TV's fine, you're probably just not pressing the button hard enough. Let me see."

Taking the remote from his brother, he pressed the on button, only to get the exact same result. He then did it a second time, and just like that, exact same result.

Attempting to power it on a third time to no avail, Nate checked to make sure everything was plugged in properly before turning to Shawn and saying, "Sorry, man. Looks like it's broken or something."

"Maybe we should call the front desk, I'm sure they could fix it." Shawn replied, already reaching for the phone.

"Actually, we can't do that, Shawn." Nate countered, lightly grabbing Shawn's wrist in order to prevent him from picking up the phone. "If we call anyone up to our room, they'll see our equipment and realize we're spying on the factory. If that happens, we'll have a lot of explaining to do, and it's not exactly like they'll believe what we have to say."

"Nate has a point. The GPU has been officially 'shut down' for over a decade, so I don't think they'd buy that Alicia and I work there." Lieutenant Woods agreed. "It'd also take too long to unhook everything before they came, so calling the front desk just isn't an option. Sorry, Shawn, you'll just have to find something else to do."

"Bummer..." Shawn mumbled, disappointed by their answer. He spent a few moments pouting, before suddenly looking up, a large grin forming on his face. "Wait a minute, I know! Nate and I could go swimming!"

"I don't know, Shawn. I think we should stay here and keep an eye on things."

"Oh, c'mon, quit being such a stick in the mud!" Shawn said, growing somewhat annoyed with Nate's refusal to do anything fun. "You goof off on your laptop all the time, it won't kill you to spend an hour away from it!"

"He has a point, Nate." Lieutenant Rose pointed out. "Besides, it's not like you're gonna miss anything important. It's getting pretty late, so I doubt anything major will happen at the factory for awhile. Go on, have some fun. Live a little!"

"Alright, alright, I'll go." Nate relented, putting down his book before reaching for his bag and opening it up in order to procure his swimming trunks. "C'mon, Shawn, find your trunks. I'm gonna go change in the bathroom and grab us some towels."

With that, he went into the bathroom and shut the door, spending the next few moments slipping into his swimming trunks before walking back out, two towels slung over his arm. Seeing this, Shawn took his turn in the bathroom before coming back out, and the two opened up the door to the hotel room before stepping out into the hall, heading for the elevator.

Standing in the doorway, Lieutenant Rose waved to them and said, "Have fun, boys! And remember, no running around the pool!"

"We won't!" Nate called back, cupping his hands to his mouth in order to cast his voice down the hall.

"See ya later, mom!" Shawn added, stepping into the elevator with his Gold counterpart as their 'parents' continued to watch from the doorway.

Turning to face Lieutenant Rose as she shut the door behind them, Lieutenant Woods said, "So...what now?"

* * *

"Woohoo!" Shawn hollered as he and Nate walked into the indoor pool area, immediately running towards the middle and doing a gigantic cannon-ball that sent water flying everywhere. Emerging from the water a few moments later, the Silver Ranger laughed, saying, "C'mon, Nate, jump in! The water's great!"

"I'll bet it is," Nate said sarcastically, wincing as his bare foot came into contact with a puddle of ice cold water on the floor. "Anyway, I think I'll pass."

"Dude, what are you, a girl?" Shawn asked, raising his arms. "What're you gonna do, work on your tan?"

"Haha, very funny." Nate said, rolling his eyes before reaching up to remove his glasses. "Fine, if you insist, here goes."

With that, the Gold Ranger set his glasses down on a chair with his backpack before running towards the pool, intending to do an even bigger cannon-ball than the one Shawn had done. However, he slipped at the last second, causing him to awkwardly fall into the water as opposed to jumping into it.

Surfacing a few seconds later while coughing and spitting, Nate said, "Aw, gross, I got pool water in my mouth!"

Seeing this, Shawn gripped his sides in laughter, saying, "Oh my god, that's so funny I can barely believe it!"

"Yeah, I definitely botched that one," Nate said awkwardly, wading over to the nearest pool ladder in order to climb back out of the pool. Walking over to the chair where his backpack was, he said, "I think I'm done..."

"Suit yourself, then." Shawn said with a shrug, ducking back into the water and continuing to swim. Opening up his backpack, Nate procured one of the two towels, which he then proceeded to use to dry off his shivering frame.

While he was drying himself off, he heard an electronic buzzing noise coming from inside his backpack; peering inside, he saw his phone, which was lit up, indicating that he had a notification. Opening it up to see that he had a new text, he sat down on the chair, going to his messenger app in order to check said text.

 _Hey.-Iris_

Seeing this, Nate typed up a reply before hitting send, jumping at the chance to talk to his crush.

 _Hey, what's up?-Nate_

 _Nm, in the middle of a horror marathon. Hbu?-Iris_

 _At the pool with Shawn. He and I are staying at a friend's house for the weekend.-Nate_

 _Oh, cool! Having fun, I hope?-Iris_

 _Eh, not really. Swimming's not really my thing.-Nate_

 _Yeah, I'm not really into swimming, either. Of course, I never learned.-Iris_

 _Never?-Nate_

 _Nope.-Iris_

 _I see.-Nate_

 _Yep. Pretty lame, huh?-Iris_

 _No, not at all. I didn't learn until I was twelve, so I understand.-Nate_

 _Thanks. It's nice to talk to someone who gets it.-Iris_

 _Don't mention it. So, what movies are in that marathon of yours?-Nate_

 _Just a bunch of the classics. Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, y'know, 80s stuff. They're some of my faves :)-Iris_

 _I see. I haven't seen a lot of horror movies, but I saw the first Halloween, once. It was pretty good.-Nate_

 _Yep. Michael Myers is great!-Iris_

 _He is pretty cool. Probably the scariest movie serial killer.-Nate_

 _Definitely. Speaking of serial killers, did you hear Curse of the Killer Murderers is coming out, soon?-Iris_

 _No, I can't say I did. You mean they made another sequel already?-Nate_

 _Yep. I heard it was rushed to production before they even starting filming the last one! XD-Iris_

 _Sounds like a cashgrab. I bet it'll be a total trainwreck.-Nate_

 _Definitely. I LOVE terrible horror sequels, they're so stupid yet awesome at the same time! I'm really looking forward to seeing it.-Iris_

 _I see. Maybe we could go together? Y'know, laugh at how bad it is and all that jazz?-Nate_

 _Maybe. Mark your calendar, it comes out next Saturday ;)-Iris_

 _I'll keep that in mind ;)-Nate_

 _Gtg, mom's calling me downstairs for dinner. Ttyl?-Iris_

 _Ttyl. Bye ;)-Nate_

 _Bye :3-Iris_

Seeing this, Nate put away his phone before placing his head in his hands, letting out a contented sigh and looking off into the distance as Shawn continued to swim.

* * *

"Yep, not much happening over there," Lieutenant Woods said as he sat in front of Nate's laptop, watching the feed from the miniature cameras that were directed at the factory across the street. Spinning around in the desk chair, he gripped his head in his hands and let out a sigh, saying, "This is gonna be a _long_ weekend..."

"Maybe so, but look at it this way-we get to take a break from all that paperwork." Lieutenant Rose pointed out.

"True. That was kind of starting to drive me nuts." Lieutenant Woods said with a laugh. "If someone had told me I'd spend most of my time doing paperwork back when I first enlisted as a cadet, I think I would've quit before I even got out of Basic."

"Honestly, same here." Lieutenant Rose agreed, letting out a laugh of her own. "Definitely not what I had in mind when I enlisted."

"Not what I had in mind, either. Anyway, about what you were saying last night..." Lieutenant Woods said, pausing mid-sentence as if he wasn't sure he should continue. "Y'know, about Basic. Did you really meet me?"

"Not directly, no, but I definitely remember seeing you." Lieutenant Rose told him. "Like I said, Sergeant Campbell was the trainer, and he always made new cadets carry his bags, which were like, _extremely_ heavy because they had all these weights in them and stuff. Anyway, I was just kinda sitting by myself, minding my own business, when I hear this crashing sound, and then I looked up and saw this guy, and he was-"

"Buried underneath a bunch of duffle bags?" Lieutenant Woods asked, cutting her off. "Yeah, that was me, alright. Like you said, the Sergeant always made new cadets carry his luggage, and I just so happened to be who he chose. I wasn't paying super close attention to where I was going, so I ended up tripping over a rock. Anyway, Campbell was _pissed_."

"Haha, I remember!" Lieutenant Rose giggled. "Didn't he like scoop you off the ground and start screaming at you at the top of his lungs?"

"Yep. And he got so close that I could smell his morning cigarette, which grossed me out, because I _hate_ the smell of nicotine."

"Same here. My father used to smoke cigars a lot, and the smell used to get so bad that my mother started making him go outside whenever he lit one."

"Sounds pretty similar to my family. My brother Bradley started smoking a couple of days after he turned eighteen, and he preferred the menthol ones, so it smelled even worse than when people would smoke the regular ones at school." Lieutenant Woods laughed, clearing his throat before changing the subject. "Say, when you first saw me after I fell down...you probably thought I was a gigantic klutz, didn't you?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Lieutenant Rose said. "A cute klutz, though."

"I uh, I see," Lieutenant Woods said, blushing bright red. "And what about now? Y'know, like, now that you actually know me?"

"Pretty much the same thing. An adorable klutz." Lieutenant Rose told him, letting out a light laugh. "What about you? What do you think of me?"

"Well, um...like, professionally, or personally?"

"Both." Lieutenant Rose said, leaning forward and looking at her cohort with a curious gleam in her eyes.

"Well, I um...professionally, I think you're one of the most hard-working people in the entire GPU." Lieutenant Woods told her, after taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "You're really driven, and it shows in your work. I really admire you for that."

"And personally…?"

"Well, uh, I...I'm not sure how this'll affect our working relationship, but...I think you're really sweet." Lieutenant Woods admitted. "And pretty. I'd be lying if I said I didn't find you attractive."

"I'd be lying if I didn't say the same thing about you, Martin." Lieutenant Rose replied, shocking her cohort. "I don't wanna make things awkward since we work so closely together, but...I have to admit, I have a bit of a crush on you."

"Huh. Interesting." Lieutenant Woods said, as both he and Lieutenant Rose subconsciously leaned closer to eachother. Closing his eyes, the young man planted a gentle kiss on his cohort's lips, pulling back only a couple of seconds later. "I hope that wasn't out of line..."

"It wasn't." Lieutenant Rose told him, her face practically glowing bright pink. As she went in for another kiss, she whispered to him, saying, " _Besides...we're not at work right now, anyway."_

" _Good point."_ Lieutenant Woods whispered back, closing the distance and kissing her a second time. This time, she kissed him back.

 _I think I've changed my mind._ Lieutenant Woods thought to himself. _This weekend isn't so bad._

* * *

Looking down at his phone and seeing what time it was, Nate looked up at Shawn, saying, "Hey man, it's getting pretty late. We should probably head back up to the room."

"Alright, be right out!" Shawn replied before suddenly grunting, gripping his forehead and wincing in pain. "Ah!"

Standing up, Nate said, "Shawn, what's wrong? Shawn?"

Unable to respond, Shawn continued to wince in pain, until suddenly, he fell unconscious, causing his body to slip down under the water. Seeing this, Nate immediately rushed to his aid, tossing his phone and his glasses down onto the chair before jumping into the water and swimming over to his brother.

"Don't worry, Shawn, I've got you!" He told his unconscious brother as he swam towards the shallow end, making sure to keep his head above water as much as possible. "I won't let you drown, I promise!"

* * *

"I um... _wow_." Lieutenant Woods said awkwardly as he and Lieutenant Rose's second kiss came to an end, his face now redder than Graham's ranger helmet. "That was just-"

"Wow?" Lieutenant Rose guessed, letting out a bit of a giggle before saying, "Funny, I never thought I could have that kind of effect on someone. It's surprisingly cute."

"T-T-Thanks, I guess..." Lieutenant Woods stammered, his blush intensifying even further. "So, um, tell me, Alicia, what...what does this mean for us?"

"I don't know. What do you _want_ it to mean, Martin?" His cohort replied, tilting her head as her mouth formed into a flirtatious grin.

Gulping, Lieutenant Woods said, "Well, I-"

"Guys, open up!" Nate shouted from the hallway while simultaneously banging on the door to the room, cutting Martin off mid-sentence. "Shawn's in trouble!"

Hearing this, the two Lieutenants immediately shot up of their seats and ran towards the door. Grabbing the doorknob and ripping the door open, Lieutenant Woods saw Nate, who was currently cradling the Silver Ranger in his arms; Nate was soaking wet, while Shawn was dry, having been wrapped up in both of the towels that his brother had taken with them to the pool.

Feeling a sort of maternal instinct rise up from within her, Lieutenant Rose motioned for Nate, saying, "Bring him here,"

Giving her a silent nod, Nate rushed over to the Lieutenant as she sat on one of the beds, taking ahold of Shawn as his brother laid him in her arms.

Gently stroking the boy's hair with her left hand, Alicia placed her right hand on his cheek. Opening her mouth, she spoke softly, saying, "Shawn, are you alright…? Wake up. It's me, Lieutenant Rose."

Blinking his eyes open as he slowly returned to consciousness, Shawn said, "Mama…?"

Almost immediately, Alicia began to correct him, saying, "No, it's-"

" _Just go with it."_ Martin told her, prompting the young woman to look down at the Silver Ranger with a motherly look in her eyes.

"Yes, Shawn, it's me. Mama." Lieutenant Rose soothed, continuing to stroke the boy's hair as he slowly drifted to sleep.

Turning to face Nate, Lieutenant Woods immediately questioned him, saying, "What happened?"

"I-I don't know, he just fell unconscious all of a sudden." Nate told him. "He was swimming in the pool and I was looking on my phone when I saw how late it was getting, so I told him we should probably get going. He said okay and he was about to get out when he started holding his head and screaming in pain. I asked him what was wrong but before he could answer he just fell right out of consciousness. He would've drowned if I hadn't of jumped in and saved him."

"I see..." Martin said, stroking his chin. "Do you think it had something to do with his Metahuman ability?"

"I don't know, maybe? I mean, he used to have headaches whenever he used his hyper-detection for too long, but that hasn't happened in years." Nate mused. "The only time I can ever remember him literally getting knocked out from it was when we first discovered our powers."

"Strange. According to the GPU Archives, the first time Colin used his superstrength, he got a massive headache and fell into a coma for six hours." Lieutenant Rose revealed. "Maybe these headaches are a side-effect of your powers developing and maturing?"

"Makes sense to me." Martin said with a nod. "Kind of like growing pains, y'know? During early childhood, kids sometimes complain about aches and pains in their legs, and it usually stops right after they have a growth spurt. Maybe as your Metahuman ability starts to grow and evolve, your body isn't quite sure how to handle it at first?"

"Could be." Alicia said. "You might be onto something there, Martin. Anyway, it's really late, so we should probably go to bed for the night."

"Yes mam." Nate replied, pulling back the covers to the second bed so that Lieutenant Rose could lay him down gently. Kneeling down next to his brother, the Gold Ranger whispered in his ear, saying, "Don't worry, Shawn. Everything's gonna be okay."

" _Mom...ma..."_ Shawn whimpered in his sleep, clearly out of it. Hearing this, Lieutenant Rose gave the sleeping teen a sympathetic smile, feeling her heart go out to him at that very moment.

Seeing Nate keep watch over his brother very intently, Martin patted him on the shoulder and said, "Shawn'll be alright, Nate, I promise. Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay..." Nate said reluctantly, taking off his glasses and placing them gently on the nightstand before laying down next to his brother.

Turning off the lights, Martin slipped into bed next to Alicia and reached for her hand, which he then gave a gently squeeze. Together, the two watched over the two brothers, holding hands underneath the covers as they slowly drifted to sleep…

* * *

Slowly blinking his eyes open as rays of sunshine shone through the curtains and onto his face, Lieutenant Woods looked to his left to see Lieutenant Rose, who was still fast asleep. Smiling to himself as he remembered the events that had transpired the previous night, he laid back and watched over her while she slept.

Eventually, he worked up the courage to plant a gentle kiss on her cheek, before whispering in her ear, saying, " _Good morning, beautiful."_

" _Five more minutes..."_ Alicia whined, turning over to face Martin.

" _No can do, Alicia. If I let you sleep any longer, you'll be in bed all day. Time to rise and shine."_

" _Oh, darn."_ Alicia said jokingly, a small grin forming on her face. Leaning in, she was about to kiss him, when all of a sudden, his eyes widened, as if he saw something that she didn't. Tilting her head in confusion, she whispered, " _What? Martin, what is it?"_

Turning around, she saw Nate and Shawn, who were now awake and peering over at the two; both had somewhat of a curious expression on their face. Seeing this, she immediately blushed-they was no way of knowing how long they had been up or how much they had seen.

Rubbing the back of his head and letting out an awkward chuckle, Martin said, "G-G-Good morning, boys...h-how are ya?"

"We're good…?" Nate replied slowly, reaching for the nightstand in order to procure his glasses, which he proceeded to put on before saying, "You?"

"Yeah, we're um, we're good." Martin answered awkwardly, prompting Alicia to roll her eyes at his answer. Clearing his throat, he changed the subject, saying, "Well, we should check the recording software. Something might've happened at the factory while we were sleeping."

"Okay then..." Nate said, folding the covers off of his body and grabbing a change of clothes from his backpack, which he then proceeded to take with him as he went into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Meanwhile, Shawn let out a yawn before turning away from the two Lieutenants. Scratching his head, he thought to himself, _So THAT'S what been going on!_ _Funny, I've always thought they had a thing for eachother, but until now it felt like it was just my imagination._

" _Yeah they totally just saw us, didn't they?"_ Martin whispered to Alicia, who narrowed her eyes at him.

" _Congratulations, Martin, your keen sense of observation has won the day."_ She teased, eliciting a groan from her cohort. " _Why don't you head downstairs and grab us some breakfast?"_

" _Good idea."_ Martin replied, sneaking a peck on her cheek when he thought Shawn wasn't looking. " _I'll be right back."_

Waiting until Lieutenant Woods got dressed and left the room, Shawn pumped his fist, thinking to himself, _Haha, I knew it! When Colin hears about this, he is gonna write AL_ _L KINDS of fanfiction about these two!_

* * *

"Alright, gang, I'm back!" Lieutenant Woods chirped as he re-entered the room ten minutes later, carrying a tray with an assortment of breakfast items on it. "I went ahead and got us something to eat downstairs!"

"Thanks." Nate said without looking up from his laptop. Typing a series of commands into the device, he spoke again, saying, "I've looked over all of the footage from last night. The Vaglass have yet to make a _peep_."

"Oh. Well, guess we'll have to keep an eye out."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Listen, we need to talk." Shawn said in an almost parental tone. "What's going on with you and Alicia?"

"What do you mean?" Martin asked, feigning obliviousness.

Turning around in his chair to face him, Nate said, "Don't try to deny it, Lieutenant. You two acted weird all day yesterday, and then we saw you almost kiss when we woke up. What's going on?"

"Well, I...um...well..."

"Martin and I are dating, now." Alicia said. This surprised Martin at first, but he quickly got over his initial shock, placing his hand in hers as she reached out to him. "I know that may sound really sudden to you guys."

"Sudden?" Nate said, stifling a laugh. "You guys couldn't have been more obvious!"

"Really…?" Martin asked.

"Nope! You weren't subtle in the slightest!" Shawn said, bursting into a fit of laughter before calming himself down. "Anyway, we should probably celebrate or something, let's eat some breakfast!"

With that, the four were about to eat when a beeping noise emitted itself from Nate's laptop, prompting the Gold Ranger to swivel his chair back around in order to check it out.

"Breakfast might have to wait, guys. We've got activity outside the factory."

"What kind of activity?" Lieutenant Woods questioned, trading the happy look on his face for a more serious one upon hearing this.

"Come see for yourself," Nate told him, prompting the Lieutenant to make his way over to the desk. Pointing to his computer screen, the Gold Ranger continued, saying, "Right there, guys in trenchcoats, just like the civilian who tipped the SHPD said. And I bet if we crank up the volume on my laptop..."

Reaching for the volume key on his keyboard in order to turn it up three or four levels, he heard mechanical clanking noises. Looking up at the Lieutenant, he said, "Bingo. Those are definitely Buglars."

"Look, there's the owner." Lieutenant Rose pointed out, gesturing to a middle aged man as he opened the doors to the factory and peered his head out.

Spotting the intruders, the owner immediately spoke up, saying, "Hey, what did I tell you punks? Huh? I thought I told you to stay off of my premises, so why are you back? Get away from my factory!"

Hearing this, the lead Buglar reached up and grabbed the owner by the collar, knocking him out before dragging him inside. Looking around to make sure they weren't being watched, the two other Buglars followed him inside, slamming the sliding door to the factory closed once they were sure that the coast was clear.

Seeing this, Shawn shot up from his chair, saying, "I say it's about time we crashed that party!"

"Agreed." Lieutenant Woods said, clenching his fist as he rose from the bed he was sitting on. "This situation just got serious."

And so, the four rushed towards the doorway, intending to take action. Pausing for a moment as he reached the threshold, Shawn turned back and grabbed a waffle from the tray of breakfast food, taking a bite out of it before looking at the laptop and saying, "Evil beware: We have waffles."

With that, he left the room, shutting the door behind him as he rushed to catch up with the others.

* * *

"S _o far, so good..."_ Lieutenant Woods whispered to himself as he slowly stepped into the factory via one of the side-doors. Brandishing a laser pistol with an under-barrel light attachment, he used it to illuminate the darkness in front of him as he searched for any signs of behind him, he said, " _Alright guys, this first room is clear, so c'mon in. But remember, the Buglars could be anywhere, so be on your toes."_

" _Right on,"_ Shawn whispered back excitedly, as he, Nate, and Lieutenant Rose filed into the initial room, the latter brandishing a laser pistol identical to Lieutenant Woods'.

Glancing to the left and right, the four spotted sets of double doors on either side of the room, which presumably led to two separate areas of the facility.

Seeing this, Nate asked, " _Which way should we go?"_

" _I'm not sure, they could lead anywhere, and we have no idea which direction those Buglars took the owner."_ Lieutenant Woods replied. " _Let's split up, we'll cover more ground that way._ _Nat_ _e, you come with me, we're going left. Alicia, you take Shawn and go right. If you run into any trouble, holler for us."_

" _Alright."_ Lieutenant Rose replied, giving her fellow officer/pretend-husband/boyfriend a thumbs up. With that, she and Shawn turned around and made their way through the right set of doors, leaving Lieutenant Woods and Nate alone.

Looking to the Gold Ranger, Martin said, " _You ready?",_ to which Nate simply nodded, a stoic look on his face as he pulled out his Morphin' Blaster and transformed it into its Blaster mode.

Nodding back, the Lieutenant tightened his grip on his own weapon, as he led the teen through the left set of doors. Within moments, the two found themselves in a medium-sized store-room of some sort, with several floor-to-ceiling shelves in it. Sitting on each shelf was an assortment of open metal crates, with each crate containing a plethora of assorted tools and other pieces of equipment. In the corner of the room, a pair of forklifts could be seen, right next to several discarded Enertron containers, which appeared to be empty.

Scanning the store room for any sign of the Buglars, Martin turned to Nate and said, " _Looks like this room's clear, too. Let's check the next one."_

With that, they walked through the next set of double doors, which led them to the main floor of the factory. Turning to their right, they immediately saw Alicia and Shawn, the latter of whom waved to them, a goofy grin on his face.

" _Back so soon?"_ Lieutenant Rose joked, as the two teams met eachother halfway.

" _Guess so."_ Lieutenant Woods said with a light laugh, gesturing towards the store-room he had just come out of before saying, " _Our side was clear. What about you guys?"_

" _We've searched most of the main floor. No Buglars anywhere."_ Shawn replied.

" _There aren't any signs of a struggle, either."_ Lieutenant Rose added.

"There's a good reason for that." A voice said from out of nowhere, causing the four to jump. Turning around, they saw the factory owner, who was slowly approaching them, a strange grin on his face. "You see, Lieutenant, that little scuffle you saw...well, it was purely for show."

"What the...what do you mean?" Lieutenant Woods asked. "Did the Vaglass blackmail you into leading us into a trap?"

"Actually, Lieutenant, I did it of my own volition." The factory owner revealed, letting out an evil laugh as he revealed his true colors. "See, lately my factory hasn't been doing so well. One of my competitors accused me of selling outside of the legal channels, so my consumer base has started dropping like flies. Basically, I needed money, _bad,_ and it just so happened that was exactly what Enter was willing to offer me, in exchange for a little favor."

"There's...there's no way..." Nate murmured, his face portraying a look of utter disbelief. "There's no way a human could be so evil as to stoop to that level..."

"Having morals doesn't exactly pay the bills, kid." The factory owner told him in a deadpan tone of voice. He then continued, saying, "Anyway, Enter was hoping the GPU would send all five Rangers, but I guess two Rangers and two Lieutenants should be good enough. What do you say, Conveyorloid?"

"Yes, I suppose that will suffice." A voice replied, as a tall, conveyor belt-themed Metaloid stepped out of the shadows, revealing itself to the others. "Thank you for your assistance."

"Don't mention it, tin can. As long as you hold up your end of the bargain, I'm good."

"Oh, you're gonna receive your payment, don't worry." Conveyorloid said ominously, as a pair of Buglars stepped out from the shadows and grabbed the factory owner by the arms. "Take him away!"

"What? But I helped you! How could you do this to me?!"

"The deal was that you'd lure all _five_ Rangers here, not two." Conveyorloid reminded him. "Besides, the outcome would've remained the same, even if you had successfully met the parameters of our agreement. You were willing to lead five human children to their deaths in exchange for money-your greed is a prime example of why humanity must be purged."

"Why you...you'll pay for this, you worthless pile of scrap-metal!" The factory owner yelled, trying to hide the fear in his voice as the robotic footsoldiers dragged him away. "You hear me? I'll rip out your optics and crush you in the nearest trash compactor, you mechanical piece of shit!"

"I highly doubt that," Conveyorloid said, turning his attention to the others before saying, "Buster Gold, Buster Silver, welcome to my factory-or, as it will soon be known as...your tomb! Buglars, get in position!"

With that, the overhead lights suddenly turned on, illuminating the room and revealing dozens of Buglars, which had now surrounded the four intruders.

Seeing this, Nate and the others took a fighting stance, as Conveyorloid raised his arm, preparing to give the signal to attack.

Eventually, he brought his arm down, saying, "Now! Buglars, kill the intruders!"

Hearing this, the robotic footsoldiers charged towards their enemies, their weapons raised and at the ready. Accepting the inevitable, Nate and the others sprung into action, and the two sides collided in a haze of glory.

Using his telekinesis to grab ahold of an incoming Buglar, Nate levitated it towards him before wrapping his left arm around its neck; he proceeded to use the Buglar as leverage in order to keep the other Buglars from attacking him. This allowed him to gun them all down with ease, after which he dropped the Buglar he was holding hostage before proceeding to stomp on its head, killing it in one swift blow.

Meanwhile, Shawn was gunning down his own group of Buglars when one of the robotic footsoldiers dodged the blaster fire and lunged at the Silver Ranger, who instinctively lifted up his right arm in order to block the incoming attack. Drawing his arm back further in order to strike the Buglar in the face with his elbow, Shawn used his hyper-detection to detect a trio of Buglars behind him; this gave him enough time to roll out of the way of their attacks, after which he spun around and took them all out using his Morphin' Blaster. Feeling proud of his marksmanship, the Silver Ranger spun his weapon around using only his trigger finger; he then abruptly stopped it from spinning in order to lift it to his face so he could blow on the barrel, as if he were an outlaw gunslinger from an old-time Western.

Finally, Lieutenants Woods and Rose stood back to back, gunning down Buglars left and right as they charged their position.

Eventually, the four successfully dispatched all of the robotic footsoldiers, leaving Conveyorloid as the last one standing. Seeing that all of his troops had been disposed of, the Metaloid let out a hearty laugh, before addressing the intruders, his tone full of enthusiasm.

"I see you managed to crush my Buglars in a matter of minutes, Busters Gold and Silver. Good. I have to admit, before you came here, I was worried that you wouldn't live up to the legends! Turns out, I had nothing to worry about-you two are just as powerful as I imagined!" Conveyorloid hollered, as energy began to build up in both of his hands. "Now, it's time that I showed you my power...take this!"

With that, he shoved both hands out in front of him, unleashed a wave of energy that surged through the floor, causing it to crack while creating a bright blue glow inside of those cracks. Recognizing the sheer amount of power behind the attack, Lieutenant Rose felt the same motherly instinct from the previous night rise up again, causing her to hold out her hand and scream in concern.

"BOYS, LOOK OUT!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, being unable to do anything but watch while the massive wave hurtled towards Nate and Shawn.

Seeing this, the two attempted to jump out of the way, but their timing was just a couple of milliseconds off, causing them to be hit by shockwaves emanating from the attack. Crashing to the ground with a thud, the two groaned in pain, causing Lieutenant Rose to clench her fist, becoming enraged at the sight of the two hurt.

"I'll...I'll kill you!" She growled, charging towards Conveyorloid while unloading on him with her laser pistol.

Seeing this, the Metaloid simply laughed, catching the laser blasts in his conveyor-esque chest-cavity and absorbing them before sending them right back at the Lieutenant, who managed to dodge all but one of them, which hit her right in the ankle, causing her to fall to the ground with a cry of pain.

" _Mama..."_ Shawn whispered subconsciously, his mind almost regressing to that of a small child. Struggled to his feet, he gripped his Morphin' Brace tightly and ran at Conveyorloid, saying, "Install: Spy-Busters!"

Instantly morphing into his Ranger form, Shawn let out a battle cry that reverberated off of the factory walls, as he ran at Conveyorloid, rapidly firing energy-blasts at him with his Morphin' Blaster. Absorbing his attacks, Conveyorloid combined their energy with his own before pouring all of it into his hands, forming a ball of light which he then proceeded to launch at the Silver Ranger, sending him flying backwards.

Landing on the floor next to Lieutenant Rose, Shawn immediately demorphed, letting out a grunt of pain as Conveyorloid simply laughed in delight.

"Oh, did that hurt, Buster Silver? Don't worry, I've got more where that came from! Have another!" Conveyorloid hollered, sending another orb of light hurtling towards his target. It exploded on impact, covering the area around it with smoke.

When the smoke cleared, a morphed Nate could be seen, shakily breathing as he held out his Drive Blade in front of him-he'd morphed and slashed at the energy orb in order to protect Shawn and Alicia!

"Is that...all...you've got?" Nate asked, attempting to mask the immense pain he was in with an air of arrogance. Swinging his arm down and bringing his weapon to his side, he motioned towards the Metaloid, saying, "Come at me, tin can!"

"Happy to oblige, Buster Gold!" Conveyorloid hollered, running towards Nate as the Gold Ranger started running towards him.

Lifting up his arm, Nate brought his Drive Blade crashing down on Conveyorloid's arm as he ran past. Sliding to a halt on the other side of the Metaloid, Nate turned around and watched him, expecting to see that he had dealt a massive amount of damage.

Instead, he saw that Conveyorloid did not even have a scratch. Hearing a sudden cracking sound, he looked down at his Drive Blade, which now had a long crack running across the length of the blade. Seconds later, the blade shattered, and Nate dropped to his knees, unable to cope with what had just happened.

"He...he broke my sword..." Nate murmured. "His armor...it's so strong that my Drive Blade shattered the second it came into contact with it..."

"Ding ding ding, right you are!" Conveyorloid taunted, turning around to face the Gold Ranger as he rubbed it in. "Tell me, Buster Gold, how does it feel knowing that you're about to die and there's nothing you can do to stop it? Well, go on, tell me!"

"I...I...I..." The teen stammered, as an overwhelming sense of fear and dread washed over him.

"Are...are you really _that_ afraid, Buster Gold? Oh, that's _priceless_!" Conveyorloid said, practically howling in laughter. "Don't worry; like I said, you're going to die here, but that doesn't mean you'll suffer. Just sit there and relax, and I'll make your death quick and painless!"

With that, he began laughing once more. Turning to look at Lieutenant Woods, Lieutenant Rose shouted, "Martin, the prototypes!"

"I'm on it!" The Lieutenant replied, using his laser pistol to weaken the factory wall before bursting through said wall and proceeding to run across the street, presumably looking to procure these 'prototypes' that Alicia had mentioned.

"Prototypes, huh? I wonder what that could _possibly_ mean." Conveyorloid mused. Shrugging off the thought, he said, "No matter. By the time he gets back with them, the three of you will already be dead."

* * *

Bursting into the lobby with a look of urgency on his face, Lieutenant Woods turned and ran to the elevator, pressing the button in order to call it. Waiting for a few seconds only for nothing to happen, the Lieutenant began spamming the button, causing the receptionist to tilt her head in slight concern.

"Sir, is everything alright? You seem rather...frantic."

"No, I'm fine!" The Lieutenant told her, deciding to ditch the elevator in favor of the stairs. "Just...forgot something in my room!"

Speeding up the stairwell until he reached the third floor, Lieutenant Woods burst into the hall before speeding over to the other end, where the room he and the others were staying in was located. Reaching for his room key, he unlocked the door before bursting inside, slamming the door behind him before proceeding to scan the room as if he was searching for something.

 _C'mon Martin, think! Where did you put that bag?!_ He thought to himself, as he began to tear the room apart in search of the bag in question.

* * *

"So, who wants to die, first?" Conveyorloid asked, as Nate, Shawn, and Alicia all sat on the floor, the three of them feeling extremely helpless. "Any takers? No? Good, because it was a rhetorical question. I'll start with whoever I want."

Turning toward Nate and giving him a menacing glare, he said, "I _could_ start with you. You seem to have given up, so perhaps I should reward you for your obedience."

Turning his attention to Lieutenant Rose as she clutched her wounded ankle, he said, "Then again, I _could_ start with you. After all, you're wounded, so why prolong your suffering? You're in no condition to fight right now, so it should be easy, too. Hmm..."

Seeing Shawn starting to crawl towards him with a defiant look in his eyes, Conveyorloid made his way over to the Silver Ranger and tilted his head. Grabbing him by the neck, he lifted him up into the air, saying, "Actually, I think I'll start with you. You seem to have some fight left in you, and I can tell you're quite defiant. Defiance...must be punished!"

"Leave...him alone." Nate said quietly. "I'm...warning you."

"Oh?" Conveyorloid said, his interest piqued by this. Tossing Shawn aside, he turned to face the Gold Ranger, saying, "And what are you going to do if I don't heed that warning, hmm? Do tell."

"You had your chance. Now...I'm gonna kill you." Nate said, looking up at Conveyorloid with an icy cold stare that would've sent shivers down the spine of a normal man. Gripping what was left of his Drive Blade, he struggled back up to his feet before taking a fighting stance. "Get ready."

"I've changed my mind! You'll be the first to go, Buster Gold." Conveyorloid said, clapping his hands together as Nate stood up to his feet, gripping what was left of his Drive Blade in his right hand.

"Here I come!" The Gold Ranger shouted, rushing towards Conveyorloid while swinging at him with the guard of his broken weapon, like a sort of makeshift knuckle-duster.

"Hahaha! Looks like I was wrong to count you out so soon, huh?" Conveyorloid laughed, leaping backwards to gain some distance from his opponent. Standing in place about twelve feet away from the Gold Ranger, he began building up energy in his hands, which he then balled into fists.

Seeing this, Nate extended his left arm and opened up his left hand, the palm facing upward. He then proceeded to bend his fingers up and down twice in rapid succession, motioning for Conveyorloid to run at him.

Tilting his head in slight amusement, Conveyorloid obliged, running toward his opponent at full speed while Shawn and Alicia watched, helpless to stop it.

* * *

 _C'mon, I've looked everywhere! Where could it possibly be?!_ Martin thought to himself as he frantically searched the hotel room, desperate to find the bag that he was looking for. _"_ I do _not_ have time for this!"

Tossing a pillow halfway across the room as he continued to search, Martin paused and took a deep breath, seemingly giving up. Glancing around the room, his eyes landed on the closet door, which was only partially closed, as if somebody had very quickly forced it closed without checking to make sure it was shut all the way. Seeing this, he cast his mind back to the previous night, when he and the others had first checked into the hotel room…

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

" _This bag sure is heavy..." Shawn said as he stood in front of the closet, attempting to put away the rest of their luggage. The closet wasn't very deep, and therefore, there didn't seem to be a ton of room for the final bag, much to the Silver Ranger's chagrin. Attempting to stuff it in three or four different ways, he eventually shoved the bag inside with both hands before hurriedly sliding the closet door shut. This caused the corner of the bag to get caught in-between the closet door and the wall, preventing it from being closed all the way and prompting the Silver Ranger to huff in annoyance. "Close enough..."_

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"That's it!" Martin shouted in realization, whipping the closet door open to reveal the bag in question, a large yellow duffle-bag. Picking it up, he discovered it had a surprising amount of heft to it, which served as further evidence that it was indeed what he was looking for.

Unzipping the bag and reaching inside, he procured a small silver briefcase, which he set on the floor next to his feet before tossing the bag aside and slamming the closet door shut again. Grabbing the briefcase up off the floor, he turned to the door and opened it, closing and locking it behind him before gunning for the stairs at the other end of the hall.

* * *

"I see you're using what's left of your sword as an improvised weapon. Very efficient!" Conveyorloid observed as he and Nate took turns swinging at eachother, neither one landing any hits on the other. "Unfortunately, I don't think it'll do you any good!"

"We'll see about that!" Nate hollered, sweeping Conveyorloid's legs out from under him and causing the Metaloid to fall to the ground below. Clenching his right fist, he began delivering a series of punches to the robot's head, saying, "Take-this-you-piece-of-crap!"

Growing somewhat arrogant, Nate continued to punch Conveyorloid, who had the perfect opening. Delivering a swift uppercut to the teen's stomach that sent him flying backward into a stack of metal crates, causing him to demorph on impact, the Metaloid jumped back up to his feet, letting out a hearty laugh.

"I'm afraid it's over, Buster Gold!" Conveyorloid boomed, charging up another attack in his hands. "I feel very privileged to have fought such an entertaining battle with you, but it's time we parted ways. After all, I have a human rat to experiment on and an Enertron factory to run. My point is, it's been fun, but I'm going to have to kill you, now."

"That's _not_ happening!" Lieutenant Woods hollered from out of nowhere, re-entering the factory via the hole he'd made in the wall earlier and firing a laser-blast at Conveyorloid while his back was turned. Opening up the briefcase he was carrying and pulling out two cylindrical objects of some sort, he tossed one of each to Nate and Shawn respectively, saying, "Boys, take these!"

Catching the object as it hurtled towards him, Nate opened his palm and examined the device, which appeared to be a scope of some kind. It was a bright silver in color with several exposed wires running up and down the sides, and it was vaguely themed after a scarab-beetle.

"The heck is this…?" He questioned.

"They're called the Beetle Boosters, they're your guys' version of the Buddy Visor!" Lieutenant Woods told them, as Shawn caught his Beetle Booster and struggled back up to his feet. "Professor Tennet said they weren't totally finished, yet, but to use them anyway if things went south. They attach to your Morphin' Blasters, so get to it!"

"It's worth a shot," Nate said, turning to look at Shawn as he rejoined his side. "You okay?"

"I will be. Now let's give this tin can what he deserves!" Shawn hollered, a determined look in his eyes.

"Right on! It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Nate and Shawn Morphing Sequence~**

"Let's test these things out!" Nate said, attaching his Beetle Booster to the top of his Morphin' Blaster with a metal 'click'. This prompted Shawn to do the same, and together, the two simultaneously pressed a button on top of their new devices.

"Are you ready?" An electronic voice announced, as Nate and Shawn lifted their Morphin' Blasters towards their faces, their fingers on the triggers.

"Beetle Booster: Engage!" The two shouted in unison, pulling the trigger. This caused waves of energy to surge from the Beetle Boosters, forming new pieces of armor that attached themselves to their ranger suits.

This new armor consisted of a black set of googles that rested on their foreheads directly above their helmets' visors, a black chest-plate that resembled body armor, and a black, scarab-beetle themed backpack that attached via their suits' shoulder-straps.

"Whoa, we look like SWAT team members!" Shawn exclaimed as he admired their new armor, feeling power surging through his body. "And I feel energy...it's flowing through me!"

"Same here!" Nate hollered, clenching his left fist. "I have a feeling our superpowers just got an upgrade, too!"

"Well, what're we waiting for, then? Let's take these babies for a spin!" Shawn suggested, brandishing his Morphin' Blaster and pointing it at Conveyorloid as he rushed forward. "Take this!"

Using his Beetle Booster's scope function, Shawn shot an energy-blast at his foe, this one three times larger than the projectiles that the Morphin' Blaster normally fired. Hurtling towards Conveyorloid, the energy-blast collided with his shoulder, cutting through his armor like a hot knife through butter and causing him to scream in pain.

"What the hell?! You actually cut through my armor! But how?!"

"Haven't you been paying attention?" Shawn asked. "We just got a _boost_."

Hearing his brother's intentional pun, Nate rolled his eyes, as Conveyorloid seethed in anger, charging up an energy-blast of his own.

"Take this, you stupid brat!" The wounded Metaloid roared, firing the blast at Shawn.

"No thanks," Shawn said as he used his hyper-detection to dodge the attack at the last second. "I'm good."

"Why you...why won't you die?!" Conveyorloid howled, firing a series of energy-blasts that Shawn easily dodged.

"Did you not hear me the first time? We're stronger, now." Shawn said simply, using his now-amplified hyper-detection to scan Conveyorloid in order to search for a weakness. Seeing a red aura around the Metaloid's knee, he aimed for it, saying, "Now eat this!"

Pulling the trigger, he fired another energy-blast, which exploded as it came into contact with Conveyorloid's knee, sending the Metaloid flying backward. Writhing in pain on the floor, Conveyorloid attempted to crawl away, but was cut off by Nate, who had materialized a new Drive Blade.

"Are you scared?" The Gold Ranger asked. "Don't be. I'll make your death quick and painless."

With that, Nate used his newly amplified-telekinesis to levitate, floating high into the air above Conveyorloid as he sat on the floor, terrified. Pressing a button on his Drive Blade, Nate lifted it high above his head, saying, "Drive Blade: Swerving...SLASH!"

With that, he swung downward, unleashing a wave of energy that cut right through Conveyorloid, causing him to spark uncontrollably. Sputtering frantically as he bled Enertron like a stuck pig, Conveyorloid let out one final scream before succumbing to his fate, exploding into several fragments that launched themselves across the room.

"Good job, boys!" Lieutenant Rose cheered as Lieutenant Woods helped her to her feet, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in order to support her. "You did it!"

"That they did..." An all too familiar voice said from out of nowhere, as Enter stepped out from the shadows. "However, I'm afraid today's game is far from over."

Extending his hand, Enter materialized several tendrils of energy, which shot out and procured the scattered fragments of Conveyorloid, putting him back together and successfully reviving him as a giant robot arrived from Hyperspace, smashing one of the factory walls as it landed on the ground. Leaping into the air, the newly-revived Conveyorloid boarded said robot, and Enter turned to look at Nate and Shawn, waving at the two with a fake smile on his face.

"Au revoir," He said in French, warping away as Nate and Shawn looked on.

* * *

"Nate, this is Captain Shields, come in!" Captain Shields said over the comm-link, having detected the giant robot's presence from the Command Room. "We've detected the giant robot, the other Rangers are en-route with the Megazord!"

* * *

"Roger that!" Nate replied, watching as the Artillery Rush Megazord came into view. Turning to Shawn, he said, "Ready to go?"

"Yep!" Shawn replied with a nod, following his brother as he leapt aboard the already-formed Megazord. As he and Nate warped inside the cockpit, he addressed his fellow Rangers, saying, "Hey, guys!"

"Hey, Shawn. Nate. What's with the armor?" Graham asked, noticing the two's upgrade as they warped inside the cockpit. "Nevermind, it's not important. Hurry up and man your stations, this guy looks ticked."

"You don't know the half of it," Nate told him, lightly slapping the Red Ranger on the back before heading over to his post. "What took you guys so long?"

"Graham and I had band practice, and Colin had choir practice." Colleen explained. "We would've skipped them, but we've missed a lot of practices lately, and our teachers are starting to get annoyed with us."

Hearing this, Colin added, "Even if they weren't, Captain Shields told us not to interfere in the non-Megazord portion. He said he knew you guys could do it on your own."

"He really does believe in us, huh?" Nate said, his sentence serving as more of a statement than a question. "Anyway, we'll have to thank him, later. For now, let's take care of shithead."

"What'd I tell you about swearing in the Megazord?" Graham asked Nate while gesturing to a poster in the corner, which had the words 'Swear-Free Zone' printed on it. Hearing this, Nate rolled his eyes inside his helmet, as Conveyorloid watched from inside his giant robot, growing rather impatient.

"What're you doing just standing there? Come at me!"

"Gladly!" Graham said, gripping the controls tightly and using them to will the Megazord forward. "Shawn, wrist-turrets, now!"

"Roger that!" Shawn hollered, aiming the Megazord's wrist-turrets at Conveyorloid's robot before opening fire.

However, Conveyorloid's robot simply absorbed the attack, launching it right back at the Megazord. It would've made impact had Shawn not seen this coming thanks to his hyper-detection; gripping ahold of his controls, the Silver Ranger swiftly rolled the Megazord out of the way, while simultaneously scanning the robot for any weaknesses.

" _There_." He said to himself, turning to Nate before saying, "Nate, there's an exhaust vent on the robot's back. If we pop a few missiles in it, the whole thing should light up like a roman candle."

"We're gonna need a pretty big opening in order to do something like that." Colin pointed out. "Anybody got any ideas?"

"I think I have one," Nate replied, gripping the controls without giving an explanation.

Meanwhile, Conveyorloid began to charge energy into his giant robot's hands, which he proceeded to launch towards the Megazord, saying, "Take this, power punks!"

Seeing this, Graham panicked slightly, saying, "Whatever you're gonna do, Nate, do it fast! If those energy-blasts hit, we're as good as dead!"

"They won't hit us." Nate said confidently, closing his eyes and concentrating as the energy-blasts hurtled towards the Megazord. Charging the Megazord with energy, he managed to use his newly-amplified telekinesis to lift it high into the air. This allowed them to dodge the energy-blasts just in the nick of time, while also giving them the perfect opening they needed to strike Conveyorloid's robot's weakness.

"How did you-"

"Let's just say you and the twins aren't the only ones with an upgrade, anymore." Nate said, interrupting Graham mid-sentence. "Now let's wrap this up."

"Right," Graham nodded, gripping the controls tightly. "Alright everyone, time for our finisher!"

"Victory Blast: Charging!" The five shouted in unison, performing the necessary steps to charge the Megazord's finishing attack. Once it finished charging, Graham turned around in order to face Nate, giving the Gold Ranger a nod before turning his attention back to the enemy. Seeing this, Nate locked onto the exhaust vent, his fingers on the trigger.

"Victory Blast: Away!" The five hollered as Nate pulled the trigger, unleashing a salvo of missiles that collided with the robot's exhaust vent, critically damaging it upon impact.

"Dammit, this isn't happening!" Conveyorloid said from inside the cockpit of his robot, as it began to fall apart around him. "This can't be happening!"

Within seconds, the robot violently exploded, sending Conveyorloid flying out toward the ground, where he fell to his death and dissolved into streams of data.

"Alright, we did it!" Graham said, turning to look at Nate before saying, "Good job, Nate. You too, Shawn."

"Thanks, Graham." Nate replied. "Now let's get back down before I get air-sick."

With every last bit of strength left in him, Nate used his telekinesis to slowly bring the Megazord back down, after which he and the others exited the Megazord. Stumbling into the factory, Nate collapsed from exhaustion, causing Lieutenant Rose to gasp in concern and prompting Lieutenant Woods to rush to his aid.

"Are you alright?" He asked, a fatherly-instinct rising up from within him.

" _D...Dad?"_ Nate asked foggily as he came back to.

Not wanting to correct him after what he'd been through that day, the Lieutenant pulled him into a hug before saying, "Yeah, buddy, it's me. Don't worry, dad's got you."

Watching this, Shawn and the others laughed, and Alicia smiled warmly-she was _so_ relieved. Nate and Shawn were okay, and that was all she needed to know.

* * *

"Hey, Alicia, we need to talk." Lieutenant Woods said as he walked into the GPU's infirmary, where she was being treated for her wounded ankle and Nate and Shawn were being tended to after the injuries they had sustained. "It's about us."

"What about us? You're not breaking up with me already, are you?" Lieutenant Rose joked, letting out a light chuckle despite her injury.

"No, actually, it's kind of the opposite." He told her, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I've only known you for five, maybe six months, but we've spent a lot of time working together, and I feel like I know you better than anyone. As for Nate and Shawn, I know it started out as an act to fool the Vaglass and the people at the hotel, but I really feel this connection with them, y'know?"

"I know what you mean," Lieutenant Rose admitted, giving him a small smile. "I guess pretending to be a family made it actually feel like we _were_ one, didn't it?"

"It did. And I really liked that feeling." He told her. "Anyway, listen. I...I know we just started dating, and under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be very appropriate, but...I love you. And those boys? They might almost be fully-grown, but they need a family. A _real_ family."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying…?"

"I am." Lieutenant Woods said with a nod. "I wanna adopt Nate and Shawn. I've already talked to the Captain, he's agreed to pull some strings and speed up the process for me. I also want...I want you to..."

"You want me to what…?" Lieutenant Rose asked hopefully, wondering if he was about to say what she thought he was.

"Like I said, this wouldn't be very appropriate under normal circumstances, but I think we can make an exception." He began, getting down on one knee. "I obviously haven't had the chance to get a ring yet, but Alicia Rose...will you marry me?"

Hearing this, Alicia practically squealed in excitement, saying, "Yes!" over and over again before grabbing Martin and kissing him, as Nate and Shawn began to stir.

"What's going on…?" Shawn asked. He and Nate had been woken up by all the commotion.

"We have some news, guys. Alicia and I are getting married." Lieutenant Woods told them.

"Isn't that a bit sudden…?" Nate asked, reaching for his glasses and putting them back on before looking at the two incredulously.

"It would be under normal circumstances, but if we're gonna adopt you, we should probably be married, right?" Lieutenant Woods said, causing Nate to look at him with a somewhat confused expression. "How would you guys feel about the whole 'family' thing not being an act?"

Hearing this, Shawn said, "Are you-?"

"I am. You boys need a family, and we're willing to become that family. What do you say?"

Hopping up out of their beds, Nate and Shawn rushed over to Martin and crushed him in a gigantic hug, tears of joy streaming down their faces. Seeing this, Alicia warmly smiled, watching as her fiance and soon-to-be sons shared a touching moment right in front of her.

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

"Controllers, controllers..." Shawn said to himself as he tore his bed at the orphanage apart, searching for the controllers to a videogame system. "Nate, have you seen the PS4 controllers? I can't find them."

"They're in my backpack with the rest of the PS4 stuff," Nate could be heard saying from under his desk, not even turning to face his brother as he struggled to reach the outlet where his laptop's power cord was plugged in. Finally gaining access to it, he carefully removed it from the wall, wrapping it up using the Velcro-straps that were attached to it before emerging from underneath the desk and placing it in one of the pockets of his laptop bag. "You got your medicine?"

"Yeah, it's in the pocket of my suitcase." Shawn told him, as someone knocked on their bedroom door.

Opening the door and peeking her head inside, Sister Catherine said, "Nate, Shawn, your parents are here."

"Yes!" Shawn cheered, his voice full of child-like excitement. Grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder before grabbing his suitcase, he turned to his brother and said, "C'mon, Nate, let's go!"

"Hold on a minute, I gotta get my stuff." Nate told him, slinging his laptop bag over his shoulder along with his backpack before grabbing his suitcase and wheeling it behind him as he followed his brother down the hall. "Dude, wait up!"

"I can't! I'm too excited!" Shawn replied as he practically galloped down the hallway and into the lobby, where Martin and Alicia were waiting, hand in hand.

"You boys ready to go?" Alicia asked, taking Shawn's suitcase as Nate walked into the lobby behind him.

"Yep!" Shawn chirped, a gigantic grin forming on his face.

"Well, let's head out to the car, then." Martin said with a smile, turning to Nate before saying, "Want some help with that suitcase?"

"Sure." Nate said with a smile, handing his adoptive father the suitcase before saying, "Thanks, dad."

"No problem." Martin replied, and together, the newly formed family exited the orphanage in order to start their new life together.

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

 **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, Graham, Colin, and Colleen can be seen in a large, gray expanse, all three of them watching a recording of their mothers' deaths with solemn looks on their faces. Out of nowhere, raindrops begin to fall, filling the screen with color as the vocals start.*)**

 **~Take a breath, take a long look around before you step,**

 **Cuz the tide is coming, swallowing the ground.~**

 **(*Graham whips his head around desperately as water begins to fill the room, threatening to drown the three teens. Beating on the walls, he tries to break free, to no avail*)**

 **~And there's no way to tell if we will drown tonight,**

 **Or we'll be found tonight.~**

 **(*An image of Graham, Colin, and Colleen's dead bodies drifting along in the water can be seen, only to disappear a moment later, the whole thing being revealed as a nightmare as Graham sits up in bed, screaming.*)**

 **~So come in close, if the current gets us, then it get us both,**

 **We can't wait here anymore.~**

 **(*As Graham walks down the sidewalk, he spots Colleen off in the distance. Gazing at her longingly, he rushes over to her, only for a wall of solid energy to separate them, causing him to frown. The Vaglass come out of nowhere, storming the area and firing at them both. The two look up, realizing they have no choice but to fight.*)**

 **~So if the waves come, let 'em take us,**

 **As they cover you and me, and they pull us underneath.~**

 **(*Graham, Colin, and Colleen rush to fight the Buglars, instantly morphing as they punch and kick the footsoldiers into submission. Seeing Enter, Graham charges him, slashing wildly. However, he is thrown onto his back by the Avatar, who walks up to him, pointing a laser pistol at his head. Demorphing, Graham grimaces, accepting his defeat.*)**

 **~I hope that fate will forgive us, for tempting the sea,**

 **I hope that they won't forget us!~**

 **(*Graham turns to Colin and Colleen as the three are dragged into Hyperspace by Enter. No doubt, the three are to be executed for opposing the Vaglass. Bowing his head, Graham prays a desperate prayer, as Colleen looks at him, a single tear running down her cheek.*)**

 **~No, we can't go back,**

 **To the way it used to be.~**

 **(*Waking up on the grass, Graham stands up, realizing it was all another dream. Looking to his right, he sees Colin and Colleen, the latter of the two waving him over with a smile. Taking a quick look at a picture of his mother in his pocket, Graham puts it away before joining his friends, a smile on his face despite himself. Seeing this, Colin pats him on the back, and Colleen reaches for his hand. Graham nervously takes it, squeezing it lightly as the three friends walk towards the sunset, the song ending as the camera pans away.*)**

 ***End Ending Theme: "Used to Be" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **A/N:** Holy CRAP, longest episode _ever,_ lol. I'm sorry if it was a little long, I tend to get a little carried away sometimes. (Then again, maybe I was subconsciously making up for the delay by giving you guys a nice long chapter to read. Who knows?) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I know it was a bit of an odd premise what with the whole "fake family becomes real family" deal, but I tried to make it as realistic as possible, and ultimately, I think it turned it alright. Hopefully you guys'll feel the same. Anyway, like it or hate it, feel free to share your thoughts in a review, I don't bite lol.

As far as the next one goes, I hope to complete it a little bit faster than I did this one, but I really need to get a new job and study up for my driving test, so I may not have as much time to work on it as I would like. We'll see. Either way, I'll try to get it done as soon as I can, I really don't like leaving you guys hanging forever. That's pretty much all I have to say, so here's the preview for the next episode.

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** _Graham and Colleen are left to fight a music-themed Metaloid alone when it manages to take control of the minds of almost everyone in Starview Heights using its song. Soon, they realize that the only way that they can counter this Metaloid is with a song of their own-but are they up to the task? Find out, in_ **Episode 14: A Red and Yellow Melody!**


	14. Ep 14: A Red and Yellow Melody

**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm back! Hope you enjoy the new episode! (Sorry it took so long, I'll explain why in the second author's note.) Please read and review!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

"Rise and shine, you two!"

Blinking her green eyes open at the sound of Captain Shield's voice, Colleen sat up in bed, letting out a bit of a yawn as she started to wake up. Flipping her comforter off of her body, the Yellow Ranger hopped out of bed, shivering a little as her bare feet came into contact with the hardwood floor beneath her. Heading over to the closet, she opened it up and grabbed an outfit before proceeding to get dressed for the day.

Once she'd changed out of her pajamas and into her regular clothes, Colleen exited her bedroom and made her way into the kitchen, where she immediately spotted her surrogate father, who was humming to himself while he made breakfast.

"Morning, Colleen!" Captain Shields said, greeting the girl with a smile. "I'm almost done making breakfast. Bacon and eggs sound good?"

"Definitely!" Colleen chirped, taking a seat at the table as the Captain finished cooking. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," The Captain replied, dividing the meal into three separate portions which he then proceeded to put on three different glass plates, which he placed next to the stove. Glancing at Colin's bedroom to see that his lights still weren't on, he looked at Colleen before saying, "Hey, go check on your brother. Make sure he's getting ready."

"Alright. Be right back."

With that, Colleen got out of her seat and walked over to her brother's room. Opening the door, she stepped inside to see her twin, who was still in bed, face-down on his pillow with his arm dangling from the side of the bed as he snored loudly. Rolling her eyes, the girl walked up to her brother and tapped him on the shoulder, attempting to wake him up.

"Colin, get up. It's time for school."

" _But Colleen, I don't wanna..."_ Colin said as he woke up, his voice muffled by his pillow.

"Sorry Colin, Senior Skip Day isn't for awhile," Colleen replied, ripping the covers off of her brother and causing him to groan in annoyance. Patting him on the back, she said, "Now c'mon, Captain Shields made us bacon and eggs."

"Did you say eggs?!" Colin said rather quickly, sitting up in bed and reaching for his glasses. Seeing this, Colleen laughed, walking out of the room and stopping at the doorway before addressing her twin.

"Yep. Get dressed and come on out here, before they get cold."

* * *

Within the next half hour, the two twins had eaten breakfast and finished getting ready for the day, and were now making their way to school. Walking towards the school building, they spotted Nate and Shawn, who were both waiting for them outside.

"Morning, guys!" Shawn said with a wave, running up the two with a massive grin on his face. "What's up?"

"Good to see you, man!" Colin replied, giving his silver counterpart a high five before saying, "How was your guys' little mini-vacation?"

"It was pretty great." Nate chimed in, reaching up to adjust his glasses so that they sat better on his nose. "Our adoption was finalized, so now we're officially Martin and Alicia's children. Our last names changed and everything."

"That's great! I'm really happy for you guys. Glad you finally got adopted."

"Has anyone seen Graham?" Colleen asked out of nowhere, gaining the attention of the others as she looked around, a concerned look on her face.

"No, can't say I have." Nate told her.

"That's weird. He usually waits for us out here," The Yellow Ranger mused.

"Maybe he's running late?" Shawn suggested.

"I guess so. I feel like he would've texted us, though..."

"Relax, he probably just slept through his alarm or something." Colin said, patting his twin sister on the back. "He _is_ kind of a heavy sleeper."

"What, you mean like you?" Shawn teased. "Dude, when we had that lock-in at HQ, you rolled over-top of me in the middle of the night, and I literally had to _kick_ you to get you off of me."

"What, and you have room to talk?" Nate said with a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure if I remember correctly, you only noticed Colin had rolled on top of you because _I_ woke you up and told you."

"Dude, shut up!" Shawn told him, eliciting a laugh from his blue and gold counterparts. Meanwhile, Colleen had turned her head and was looking towards the road, an uneasy look in her emerald green eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it..." She mumbled, almost sounding as if she was trying to convince herself. Turning to the others, she slung her purse over her shoulder before saying, "Let's go, before the bell rings."

* * *

 _Meanwhile, at the Glover Residence…_

"Graham, it's time for school!" Tammy said, calling for her nephew from outside his bedroom door. "C'mon, you gotta go, or you'll be late!"

"Actually, Aunt Tammy, I'm not feeling very well..." Graham lied, wiping tears from his eyes as he sat up in bed. "Is it okay if I stay home, today?"

"I suppose so." His Aunt replied. "I'll go tell your Uncle so he can call the school before he heads to work. I gotta go, I'm meeting up with some of the women from church for breakfast. I'll be back to check on you later. I love you!"

"Love you too, Aunt Tammy!" Graham replied as his Aunt walked away, leaving him alone in his room.

Looking to his calendar, he frowned, seeing the date that was currently circled on it.

" _It's been_ _two years_ _already, huh…?"_ He asked himself shakily, clenching his fist as a stray tear rolled down his cheek. " _You think I would've moved on, already. I know she has..."_

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens*  
(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**

 **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**

 **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**

 **(*Shots of all five Rangers flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, Colleen is riding a bike, Nate is writing something in a journal, and Shawn is playing a handheld videogame console. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**

 **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**

 **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**

 **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**

 **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**

 **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**

 **(*A now teenage Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist as the others follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, with the other four quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the five spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**

 **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**

 **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**

 **(*A shot of the five Rangers piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot is shown. Gripping the controls, they each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**

 **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**

 **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**

 **(*The scene transitions to show Graham and the others standing side by side, all five of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the five instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, they all rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 14: A Red and Yellow Melody**

"Alright, class dismissed." Ms. Holland said, prompting Colleen to stand up as her 4th Period History class came to an end. "You can all head to lunch, now."

Gathering her things before leaving the classroom, Colleen made her way to her locker and began to put away her things. Feeling someone tap her on the shoulder, she turned around to see Allison, a girl from Graham's youth group who she shared a few classes with.

"Hey Colleen." The girl greeted.

"Hey, Allison. Have you seen Graham?" Colleen asked, as Holly walked up behind the two.

"You mean you haven't?" Holly asked, tilting her head in slight confusion. "You're with him like, _all_ the time."

"Am not!" Colleen said, blushing bright pink at this observation. "Anyway, no, I haven't seen him. Have you?"

"Nope. That's why I came to ask you." Allison told her. "I think he might've skipped school."

" _Really?_ Excellent observation, Allison." Holly said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the blonde.

"You don't have to be mean, Holly!" Allison replied, sounding slightly offended by her comment. Turning back to Colleen, she said, "Anyway, I figured since you're so close with him, you'd know where he was. Maybe he's sick or something."

"No, he would've texted Colleen if he was." Holly pointed out. "After all, what kind of guy doesn't let his own girlfriend know he's sick?"

"G-G-G-Girlfriend…?" Colleen asked, her blush returning in full force. "What gives you the impression that we're dating…?"

"Girl, it's _sooo_ obvious." Allison said, her hands on her hips.

"What's obvious? I have no idea what you're talking about." Colleen said, shaking her head while feigning obliviousness. "Now if you'll excuse me, I should get going."

With that, she turned and walked away, heading for the exit door on the far end of the hallway. Seeing this, Holly called after her, saying, "Colleen, the cafeteria's this way!"

"I'm not going to lunch, I'm gonna go check on Graham!" Colleen told her. "Allison, if I don't get back in time for English, cover for me, okay?"

"Okie-dokey!" Allison said as she left, before turning to Holly and whispering to her, saying, " _Yeah, they're totally dating."_

" _Totally."_ Holly agreed, a toothless grin forming on her face. Turning to face the cafeteria, she motioned for Allison, saying, "C'mon, Sabrina and Jack are waiting for us."

* * *

 _Okay, here it is…_ The Yellow Ranger thought to herself as she walked down the sidewalks of the Starview Heights suburbs, stopping as she reached the Glover Family's house. Walking up to the porch and standing in front of the door, she took a deep breath, saying, " _Here goes nothing..."_

With that, she reached up and rang the doorbell. She then proceeded to wait, as footsteps were heard from inside.

Opening the door, Scott looked at the girl and said, "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, actually. I'm here to check on Graham, I'm a friend of his from school."

"Oh. You must be that girl he talks about all the time! Colleen, right?"

"Yep, that's me." Colleen said, blushing a little when she heard this. "Anyway, is he home? I'm really worried about him."

"Yeah, he's here. Hanging out in the basement, I think." Scott replied. "He said he wasn't feeling well this morning, so Tammy decided to let him skip. You can go downstairs and see him if you-"

"Thank you!" Colleen replied rather suddenly, rushing inside before he could even finish his sentence.

Shrugging his shoulders, Scott simply said, "Kids," before shutting the door and turning around, pointing out where the basement was before going upstairs to his office.

Opening the door that Scott specified, Colleen stepped onto the carpeted stairs that led down to the basement, pausing when she heard noise coming from below her.

Hearing music of some kind accompanied by Graham singing, she ducked down, not wanting to interrupt him since she had never heard him sing and she wanted to know what his singing voice was like.

" _~The phone starts ringing, again. I think it's my girlfriend, this time I know that it's finally over.~"_ Graham sang softly, singing along to a CD he was listening to on an old CD player. " _~She keeps bringing me down, will this all turn around? Right now, I feel like I'm slowly dying!~"_

Tilting her head in curiosity, Colleen leaned in further in order to hear him better, as he continued to sing along with the song that was playing.

" _~Y'know, I've heard it all before, and now my eyes, they run like faucets, until my tears are gone!~"_ Graham sang, holding back tears as he continued with, " _~She said we were in love, I take a sip of my water. I guess we'll carry on at last. She still think it's my fault, and I'm nobody at all! She must've thought I was someone else, before!~"_

Realizing he was singing about his ex-girlfriend, Colleen immediately felt a pang of sympathy. She then decided she was going to leave, as he started singing the second verse of the song.

" _~I'm not so special, now! I always knew it, somehow! I guess she never had the guts to tell me-"_ Graham sang as he began the second verse, pausing when he heard Colleen slip and fall down the stairs. Looking up, he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, saying "What the-?"

Getting up from the futon he was sitting on and pressing pause on the CD player, he walked to the bottom of the stairs and saw Colleen, who was laying face-down, her head covered by her reddish-brown hair. "Colleen, is that you…?"

"Yes..." The girl said, her voice muffled somewhat by the carpet as she got up and dusted herself off. Turning to face Graham with a look of slight embarrassment on her face, she continued, saying, "Are you okay?"

"Nevermind me, _you're_ the one who just fell down the stairs." Graham pointed out, voicing his concern for the girl. "What brings you here, anyway? Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I was at school. I decided to come here during lunch period." Colleen told him. "Listen, are you okay? People at school were really worried about you, and your Uncle said you weren't feeling well."

"Yeah, I'm good." Graham lied, something that was rather uncharacteristic of him. "I just didn't feel like going today, that's all."

"Okay. Why not?"

"I...don't really wanna talk about it."

"Tell me." Colleen said sternly, her hands on her hips as she looked at the boy. Gesturing over to the CD player, she said, "That song you were singing...it was about Serena, wasn't it?"

"...Yes." Graham relented, letting out a sigh as he sat down on the futon and looked down at the ground. "See, today is...well, two years ago today, we broke up."

"I see..." Colleen said, putting all of the pieces together as she sat down next to the Red Ranger. "It was because she didn't approve of your religion, right?"

"Yes and no. That was probably part of it." Graham told her. "To tell you the truth, I thought about breaking up with her when it became clear she wasn't interested in church, but I decided not to because I really liked her and I thought I'd be able to get through to her."

"Huh. How'd you end up with her, anyway?"

"It's...a long story." Graham said, rubbing the back of his head. "But I'll try. Here goes...see, when I was fifteen, I didn't have very many friends…or any, really, except for Donnie. I didn't even know Daniel or Jon, yet. Anyway, I was at Sr. High Church Camp, and it was the first day. Donnie's a year younger than me, so he was still in the Jr. High age group. Basically, I was on my own. And then I met _her."_

* * *

 **~Flashback Start~**

 _Sitting by himself inside the pole barn at the Apostolic Campground's recreational field, a fifteen year old Graham let out a sigh as he cast his eyes to the left, where several teens his age were playing four-square. He wanted to join in, but he didn't know them, and he was really shy around new people. He was always too scared of making a bad first impression, so he never talked to anyone unless they approached him first, and even then he was really bashful at first._

 _Despite all of that, he was about to go introduce himself, when he heard someone say, "Hey."_

 _Startling somewhat, Graham turned to see a pale girl who looked to be about his age, who had sat down next to him when he wasn't paying attention. She had long, brunette hair with cyan streaks, brown eyes, and freckles, and her outfit consisted entirely of the color black, with the exception of a pale yellow beanie on top of her head._

" _You're thinking about going to play four-square?" The girl asked, to which Graham tilted his head._

" _Uh, yeah, actually. Why?"_

" _Don't bother._ _T_ _hey probably won't let you, you don't look nearly athletic enough." The girl said negatively. "They're all losers, anyway."_

" _Okay..." Graham said, trying to hide the fact that he slightly offended. "And you are…?"_

" _Sorry, that was rude of me. I'm Serena." The girl said in a rather deadpan voice, holding out her hand for him to shake. "What's your name?"_

" _I'm Graham." Graham said rather bravely, holding out his hand for her to shake. "Nice to meet you."_

" _Yeah, whatever." Serena replied, ignoring the potential handshake as she got up and walked away, leaving Graham somewhat confused by her behavior._

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"Wow, sounds like she was kind of a mean person..."

"She was. I just didn't realize it initially." Graham told her. "Okay, I did, but at first I found it kind of attractive. She wasn't like other girls, y'know? Anyway, we kept running into eachother and having light conversation here and there, and then one night Donnie came for service and when we went into the mess hall after alter-call to grab a snack, he saw me looking at her and accused me of having a crush. I tried to deny it, but he had me figured out. For whatever reason, I liked her. Probably because she was the first girl I met that ever went out of her way to talk to me."

Taking a deep breath, he continued with, "Anyway, by the end of camp, Donnie convinced me to ask her on an 'ice-cream social', basically it was like this game where guys could ask girls that they liked or were just friends with to go an ice-cream date and the camp provided the ice cream. They even gave it to you for free if you asked the girl up on the platform in front of everybody. Anyway, somehow she said yes, and I got her phone number. After camp we started texting a bunch, and somehow we ended up dating."

"Then what happened?" Colleen asked, to which Graham took a deep breath.

"At first, things were great." Graham told her. "We had a ton of stuff in common, and we got along really well. She also got me like no one else did at the time. Anyway, before long, I had actual feelings for her. But then she started showing her true colors."

"True colors?"

"Yeah." Graham replied. "See, she was really pretty on the outside, and she liked a lot of the same stuff I did, but she was really mean on the inside, and she didn't get along with most other people, especially not in the church. She didn't like church in general, to be honest. She would always change the subject when I talked about it, and I had to fight tooth and nail to get her to go to any youth events."

"But didn't you meet her at church camp? Why would she go if she didn't like church?" Colleen questioned.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Her parents probably forced her to go or something; her family's always gone to church, but they've never really been 'in church', if you know what I mean. Anyway, she wasn't very good for me. My family and friends didn't approve of her _at all_ , and even though I disagreed with them at first, I started to consider breaking it off when she started treating me really poorly. Again, though, I decided not to."

"How'd you end up breaking up?"

"She uh...she dumped me." Graham told her, a frown forming on his face as he remembered the event in question. "She had been acting really weird for like, a whole month, y'know, not answering texts, blowing me off when I asked her to do stuff with me, etcetera, etcetera. I thought it was just because she was busy with marching band, but I was wrong. See, it uh...it turned out she was cheating on me with some guy from Florida. I guess they met during a football game where his school's team was visiting from Tampa. Anyway, she dumped me out of nowhere and that's when I found out. I never even got the chance to confront her about it because she ended up moving like, a week later. And you'll never guess where she moved."

"Florida?" Colleen asked, to which Graham nodded. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, it's not your fault."

"Do you still...y'know, have feelings for her?" Colleen questioned, her voice carrying faint hints of worry and jealousy.

"No, I'm way over her. I actually kinda like someone else, now." Graham said truthfully. "That doesn't make it any less painful, though. It just...I don't know, it hurts to remember, if that makes any sense."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Colleen said, taking a deep breath. "When I was fifteen I started talking to this guy from Sonia's school named Spencer, I met him at her going away party right before she left for LA. Anyway, I was kind of used to all the guys I liked being into her because she was so pretty and popular, but somehow, he ended up liking me. Or at least I thought he did."

"What happened…?"

"Well, it was April, and Sonia had just finished her first album and was visiting for a little while. We were coming up on her school's Spring Fling dance, and I really wanted Spencer to ask me. I waited for days, and then, he finally came over and asked to talk to me. We went for a walk...and as soon as we were away from the apartment he asked me if I thought Sonia would be interested in going with him. He'd been using me to try to get to her."

"He _didn't_." Graham said sharply, trying to hide the anger he felt building up inside of him.

"No, he did." Colleen said, frowning. "Needless to say, I was devastated. When Sonia found what happened, she chewed him out, and Colin would've beaten the everliving crap out of him if she didn't convince him not to. Anyway, I haven't liked anyone since...or at least, not until recently."

"Oh?" Graham asked, unable to hide the curiosity on his face. "Who's the lucky gentlemen?"

"I'm afraid that's classified information, mister." Colleen said in a vaguely flirtatious manner, tapping him lightly on the nose as if they were little kids. Standing up, she said, "Anyway, I'd better get going, lunch period is almost over. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see ya..." Graham said, trying to mask his disappointment. "Thanks for coming over."

"Don't mention it." Colleen said with a smile, as she turned to go back upstairs. However, before she could leave, a beeping sound emitted itself from her purse, prompting her to reach inside and pull out her Morphin' Brace. "Uh oh, looks like trouble. We'd better go take care of this real quick, I told Allison to cover for me if I was late for fifth period but that doesn't mean I can just skip the rest of the day."

"Yeah, we should probably get going." Graham replied, hopping up off of the futon in order to follow her. "C'mon, we'll take Nick, it'll help us get there faster."

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Back at School…_

Colin, Nate, and Shawn were outside, eating lunch at their usual spot underneath a tree in the quad. Finishing his food, Shawn whipped out his phone and checked the time, realizing that lunch period was almost over.

"Is it just me, or is Colleen taking awhile?" Shawn spoke up, noticing that the Yellow Ranger had yet to join them.

Looking up from his laptop, Nate said, "Yeah, it's been awhile since lunch period started. You think she'd be out here by now."

"Eh, maybe she decided to eat with some of her other friends, today." Colin shrugged. "I mean, she's been hitting it off with those two girls from Graham's youth group lately."

"Holly and Allison? Yeah, they've been getting along really well, it'd only make sense for her to wanna hang out with them." Shawn replied. "And since Graham isn't here today, she probably wants to know why he stayed home. Guess she decided to kill two birds with one stone."

"That actually makes a _surprising_ amount of sense, Shawn." Nate said jokingly, to which his brother furrowed his eyebrows.

"What, do I usually _not_ make sense? Huh?"

"Relax, dude, I was just kidding. Chill out."

Letting out a light chuckle, Shawn said, "Chill out? That's ironic coming from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Guys, shut up," Colin said from out of nowhere, holding out his hand to silence the two as he heard faint electronic beeping sounds coming from their pockets. " _You hear that?"_

" _Metaloid Attack?"_ Shawn guessed, sliding his pocket open and reaching inside for his Morphin' Blaster.

" _Metaloid Attack."_ Nate confirmed, feeling his Morphin' Blaster vibrate through his laptop bag, which was leaning against his side. Closing his laptop and slipping it inside the bag, he exchanged it for the Morpher, saying, " _Let's go."_

" _That...may not be necessary."_ Colin said somewhat awkwardly as he stood up and gestured across the quad, where a Metaloid could be seen making its way over. As it walked through the grass, even the most self-absorbed students took notice; however, most of the teens were too scared to run, instead electing to freeze in place as their eyes widened in fright.

Looking to eachother and sharing a silent nod, the three Rangers ducked behind a nearby bush. Scanning their surroundings to make sure no one was watching them, they instantly morphed into their Ranger suits before making their way out from behind the bush, where the Metaloid was now standing.

"Ah, there you are, Rangers. I've been looking for you," The Metaloid, which was gold in color and appeared to be themed around a tuba, began, letting out a light chuckle before saying, "Allow me to introduce myself; I am Tubaloid."

"Really? Never would guessed," Colin replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he pressed the button on his Transpod. Reaching out to grab his Spy-Saber as it materialized in the air in front of him, he took a fighting stance before saying, "Lemme guess, you're here to perform a concert?"

"Actually, I'm preparing for one right now." Tubaloid said matter-of-factly. "I just came here to gather my band-members."

"Band-members? What are you talking about?" Nate demanded, keeping his Morphin' Blaster trained on the Metaloid.

"I think it'd be better if I just showed you," Tubaloid said rather cryptically.

Out of nowhere, an ear-piercing screeching sound erupted from the tuba jutting out of his shoulder, prompting everyone in the surrounding area to instinctively cover their ears. Then, with a sound that was very similar to the sound a vinyl record makes when it starts playing its music, a sort of jazz song began to ring out, causing Colin and his two fellow Rangers to immediately cringe.

"God that's loud..." Nate groaned.

"Right?" Shawn replied. "I swear, I'll _never_ complain about you playing the trombone too loud ever again!"

"Uh...guys?" Colin said out of nowhere, his voice indicating that things were not well.

"Yeah?" The brothers asked in unison, looking up to see their classmates, who were all standing completely still with blank expressions on their faces. Together, they let out a long, drawn-out moan, almost like that of a pack of zombies.

"Um...what the hell is going on?" Shawn blurted out, to which Tubaloid laughed hysterically.

"Oh, nothing. They're just my mindless slaves now, that's all!" The Metaloid boomed, letting out another howl of laughter before gesturing to his tuba-shoulder and saying, "The song I just played has the power to control people's minds. In other words, whoever listens to it...becomes my mindless puppet."

"What the...but that doesn't make any sense. We just listened to it, and we're fine." Shawn pointed out. "What's up with that?"

* * *

" _It probably has something to do with them being Metahumans, it probably takes more than a couple of seconds for the song to take effect."_ Lieutenant Rose mused quietly, having watched all of this from HQ. "Listen to me, Shawn. You guys got lucky this time, but there's no guarantee that the song will fail a second time."

"So, what you're saying is-?"

"GET OUT OF THERE!" Lieutenant Rose shouted into her mouth-piece, her maternal instincts rising up from within her.

* * *

"She's right, you guys. We should definitely retreat." Colin advised.

"Yeah, there's a bit of a problem with that..." Shawn said awkwardly, as their brainwashed classmates began to surround them.

"How are we supposed to get past them?" Nate questioned, obviously starting to panic. "I mean, they're civilians! We can't risk hurting them!"

"Shit, you're right!" Colin grunted, placing his right hand on top of his helmet as he desperately tried to think of what to do next. "I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do..."

"Why don't you just stop worrying about it and join my band?" Tubaloid chimed in, as his song began to play again. Letting out a maniacal laugh, he said, "There's plenty of room for everyone in the big concert!"

" _No..."_ Shawn whimpered as he dropped to his knees, grabbing his head with both of his hands as he began to feel the music taking ahold of him. "This can't be happening, this isn't happening..."

"Oh but it is!" Tubaloid guffawed as the other two began to give in. Within moments, all three Rangers were back on their feet, and had now adopted stances very similar to that of their classmates.

* * *

"No!" Lieutenant Rose shouted, as tears began to stream down her face. "This can't be happening! Nate, Shawn!"

"Get ahold of yourself, Alicia!" Captain Shields shouted, trying to mask the sense of despair in his voice. Seeing the incredibly angry look that Lieutenant Woods flashed him, he added, "You too, Martin! Keep it together, you two!"

"No, I'm not gonna just 'keep it together'!" Martin shouted back, standing up from his post and slamming his hands down onto his desk. "Those are our kids out there, Logan! You _seriously_ expect us to just sit back and shrug it off like little toy soldiers?!"

"Martin, settle d-"

"You expect us to believe that you're not worried about Colin at all?!" Martin continued. "Don't lie to me, Martin. The last time he went missing you nearly lost your mind, and now he's literally being mind-controlled! You mean to tell me that you're not even the _least_ bit scared?!"

Taking a deep breath, Logan opened his mouth to speak, but before he could do so, an electronic beeping sound emitted itself from the Command Room's speakers, and Lieutenant Rose managed to regain her composure in time to sit back down and read the information displayed on her monitor.

"Sir, it's Graham and Colleen. They're on their way to the high school and they're asking for a sitrep," She informed, looking to the Captain before saying, "What should I tell them?"

"Nothing. Shut off the comm-link and mute the battle feed." Captain Shields replied, gaining another dirty look from Lieutenant Woods. Looking to him, he said, "What is it, Martin? What?! Listen, I know you're scared, and I am too, but you heard that Metaloid. That song controls human minds, and we can't risk it taking ahold of us through our headsets and speakers. We'll be no good to Graham and Colleen if we're brainwashed."

"But...but-"

"He's got a point, Marty," Lieutenant Rose said, shutting off the comm-link and muting the speakers before walking over to his station and rubbing her husband's back in an attempt to calm him down. "If we get taken over by that thing, then there's no way we'll ever get Nate and Shawn back to normal. Colin too, for that matter."

"You...you're right, I know you are," Lieutenant Woods said with a nod, taking a deep breath as he regained composure. Looking to his commanding officer, he bowed his head, saying, "I uh, I lost my cool there, Captain. I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright, Martin. You weren't the only one who lost their cool." Captain Shields said sincerely, tipping his head apologetically. Turning his head towards the Command Room's Video Screen, he spoke again, saying, "Now all that's left to do is sit back and watch. If anyone can save them, it's Graham."

With that, Martin stood up and wrapped his arm around Alicia, kissing her lightly on the head before pulling her in close in an attempt to soothe her. Meanwhile, Captain Shields watched the battle feed intently, as Graham and Colleen continued to make their way towards Tubaloid.

* * *

"Hello? Captain, are you there?" Graham spoke into his Morphin' Brace, confusion evident in his voice as he and Colleen continued to drive down the road on Cheetah Nick's motorcycle mode. "Captain? This is Graham to HQ, Colleen and I are heading towards the source of the Metaloid attack and we need a sitrep, over! Come in, HQ!"

Receiving absolutely no response, Graham brought the motorcycle to a screeching halt. Balling his hand into a fist, he slammed it onto the dashboard, saying, "Dangit, why aren't they answering?!"

"Hey, that hurts, y'know!" Cheetah Nick said, his face lighting up on the dash.

"Right, sorry..." Graham said apologetically, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "I just really could've used the help locating that Metaloid, that's all. Oh well...guess we'll have to find it on our own."

"Actually boys, that may not be necessary." Colleen pointed out, gesturing to across the street where Tubaloid could be seen approaching. Seeing this, Graham quickly dismounted the bike, with his yellow counterpart following his lead.

Finally, Cheetah Nick transformed into his robot mode, as Tubaloid continued to walk closer to where they were standing.

"So that's the Metaloid, huh?" Graham observed, brandishing his Morphin' Brace before looking to Colleen.

"It would appear so." Colleen replied with a dip of her head, brandishing her own Morphin' Brace before continuing with, "Ready to go?"

"Let's do this," Graham said. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!" The two shouted in unison, performing the necessary steps that were required to morph.

"Alright, let's go!" Graham hollered, using his superspeed to dash over to the Metaloid with Colleen in tow.

Within moments, the Red Ranger had nearly reached his target. However, just before he got all the way there, he skidded to a halt, prompting Colleen to stop in her tracks right behind him.

"What's the matter?" She asked, concern evident in her voice.

"That Metaloid...look behind him." Graham replied rather blankly, prompting her to turn her gaze towards the Metaloid in question. Seeing the crowd of zombified people behind him, she let out a gasp of realization before saying, "Those...those are our classmates!"

"That's not all," Her red counterpart told her, gesturing over to Colin, Nate, and Shawn as they came stumbling into view. "Colin and the others are with him, too. What's going on?"

"It's quite obvious, Buster Red!" The Metaloid said from out of nowhere, approaching the Red Ranger and letting out an amused chuckle. "I'm Tubaloid, and these are my fellow band members! We're about to take this city by storm! _Literally_!"

" _Guys, I think they've been brainwashed..."_ Cheetah Nick whispered, having joined their side while they weren't paying attention.

"No way, that's straight out of science fiction," Graham said, to which his Buddy-Roid gave him a look. "Oh, right. My whole life is basically a giant science fiction movie. Anyway, I guess it's possible. Wonder how he did it, though..."

"It's simple, Buster Red. I used _this."_ Tubaloid replied, gesturing up to his tuba-shoulder. "See, when I play my song, it sinks into your brain, and within minutes, it takes over the minds of those who listen to it! In other words, this song is like an audible virus, and your classmates and fellow Rangers have all been infected! Now I'm going to use my power to turn them against you!"

"Why you..."

"You're _despicable_!" Colleen growled, clenching her fist in anger.

"Thank you, Buster Yellow. I do try." Tubaloid said, howling in laughter. Gesturing towards his army of mindless slaves, he spoke again, saying, "Now, all of you! Destroy them!"

Hearing this, their zombified classmates let out a collective groan before stumbling towards the two, ready to attack.

"What do we do?" Colleen asked, turning to her red counterpart for guidance. "We can't just hurt them."

"I know, I know...dangit, we're gonna have to find another way," Graham said, placing his hand on top on his helmet as he brainstormed for another idea. "Ooh, I've got it! Why don't we just knock them all out?"

"That sounds like it could work," Colleen replied. "Let's try it."

With that, the two sprung into action, using their Metahuman abilities to stay one step ahead of the zombified people as they went around, knocking them all out.

Using his superspeed, Graham weaved his way through the crowd, delivering light chops to the backs of their heads in order to knock them unconscious. Meanwhile, Colleen did the same using her superagility.

Soon, they had pacified all of their classmates, and all without hurting them one bit. Seeing this, Cheetah Nick spoke, saying, "Hey, what do you know? That actually worked."

"Indeed it did." Tubaloid chimed in. "But cheap tricks like that won't work on your fellow Rangers."

"Crap, I totally had a major blonde moment and forgot they were even here just now..." Colleen said, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

"Colleen, focus," Graham said, materializing his Spy-Blaster and keeping it trained on Colin as he, Nate, and Shawn stumbled towards their position. "He's right about that trick not working on them...we need to find a way to demorph them. Try to use as much force as possible without hurting them!"

"That's...easier said than done." Colleen said as she materialized her own Spy-Blaster, which she proceeded to use to fire a few energy-blasts at their brainwashed teammates. Letting out a drawn out moan, the zombified-Shawn grabbed the barrel of her Spy-Blaster and attempted to yank it out of her hands, causing her to kick him back while letting a high-pitched, "Eek!"

Using her superagility to back away from her silver counterpart, Colleen unwittingly landed right next to Colin, who let out a low growl as he turned to face her. Panicking, the Yellow Ranger aimed her Spy-Blaster at him and fired off three shots in rapid succession, all of which missed. Growing annoyed, zombie-Colin used his superstrength to rip the weapon out of her hand, tossing it aside before grabbing ahold of her arm. He then used the leverage to flip her onto her back, simultaneously demorphing her and knocking her unconscious as she landed on the ground with a solid thud.

"Colleen!" Graham shouted, his voice full of concern. Trading his Spy-Blaster for his Spy-Saber, he tightened his grip on the weapon before saying, "Hang on, I'm coming!"

With that, he began making his way over to her. However, before he could reach his yellow counterpart, he was cut off by zombie-Shawn, who shot him point-blank with his Morphin' Blaster.

Raising his left arm in front of his face as the energy-blast sparked off of his ranger suit, Graham continued to trudge forward, undeterred by the attack despite the amount of pain he was in.

Gritting his teeth, the Red Ranger continued to make his way over to Colleen, but before he reached her he was again cut off, this time by zombie-Nate. Brandishing his Drive Blade, he pointed it at Graham, who lowered his Spy-Saber, deciding to try and reason with his mind-controlled teammate.

"Nate, it's me, Graham! Y'know, your friend?" He said, trying to get through to the boy to no avail. Raising his weapon in order to block an incoming swing from Nate, Graham grunted as he struggled to hold his gold counterpart back. "Don't...make me...hurt you..."

Being unable to listen to reason in his mind-controlled state, Nate simply used his telekinesis to knock Graham's Spy-Saber out of his hand before lifting his Drive Blade above his head and delivering a downward slash to the Red Ranger's chest, causing his suit to spark uncontrollably as he was launched backwards.

" _Oww..."_ Graham managed to mumble as he landed on the ground, demorphing as a result of the impact. For the next few moments, he involuntary rolled along the pavement until he bumped into Colleen, which put an immediate stop to his momentum. Seeing this, Tubaloid let out a hearty laugh, his zombified-Rangers rejoining his side as Graham struggled to a sitting position.

"Hahaha, my plan is working brilliantly! I can't believe none of the Metaloids Enter made before me thought of this, it's a no-brainer!" Tubaloid boomed. "Now, it's time to complete my band. After all, why destroy you Rangers...when I can make you my puppets?!"

Acting quickly, Graham carefully lifted up his yellow counterpart and threw her over his shoulder before standing up and superspeeding away. Seeing this, Cheetah Nick transformed into his motorcycle mode and sped after him, as Tubaloid stood still, his song echoing from his tuba-shoulder as the trio got away.

Clenching his fist as he watched them disappear, Tubaloid stopped playing his song before saying, "Damn, they got away...no matter. We still have plenty of time before the concert begins."

Turning around just in time to see the rest of his mind-controlled slaves regain consciousness, Tubaloid gestured towards them and issued a command, saying, "Find them, now!"

* * *

Having made his way downtown with the still-unconscious Colleen cradled in his arms, Graham continued to run, breathing heavily the whole way. Following him was Cheetah Nick, who had since transformed back into his robot mode and was now looking over his shoulder for any signs of their pursuers.

Spotting a large amount of mind-controlled people as they turned the corner, the Buddy-Roid looked to his human counterpart and said, "They're catching up to us, Graham! We'd better hide, fast!"

"I know, I know!" Graham replied, looking around for a potential hiding place. Spotting the local music store up ahead, he spoke again, saying, "Bingo!"

Superspeeding over to the front door and busting it open, he ushered Nick inside before closing the door behind him. Ducking down behind the counter, he peeked out the front window, watching closely as the group of mind-controlled people ran past.

Making sure they were gone, the Red Ranger let out a sigh of relief before gently laying Colleen down on the floor next to him. Standing up, he walked over to the middle section of the store, where several shelves lined with CDs sat. On either wall, various instruments were mounted on metal racks, and on the ceiling, posters depicting the covers of dozens of albums by several famous artists and bands could be seen. Seeing this, Graham smiled, as memories began to flood his mind.

"Luna's Music Shop..." Graham said to himself, his eyes lighting up as he looked around the room. "I used to come here all the time when I was a kid."

Turning to face one of the shelves, he scanned the row of CDs, picking up one that caught his eyes. Meanwhile, over by the counter, Colleen came to, transitioning to a sitting position as she blinked her eyes open.

"Where...where are we?" She asked, prompting Graham to walk over to her and kneel back down. "And what happened?"

"To answer your first question, we're inside the local music store. To answer your second question, you were knocked unconscious by Colin." Graham told her. "Tubaloid almost took control of us with his song, but I picked you up and carried you here before that happened. Are you alright…?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Colleen said, her red counterpart's obvious concern causing her to blush a bright pink. "How about you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I made it out okay."

"Well that's good," Colleen replied, noticing the CD he was holding. "What's that?"

"Oh, this?" Graham asked, eliciting a nod from his yellow counterpart. "It's a CD by Hawk Nelson, they were one of my favorite bands as a kid."

"Hawk Nelson? That sounds really familiar...did they make that song you were listening to earlier?" Colleen asked.

"Yep."

"I thought so. I saw the CD case on the floor when I fell down the stairs." Colleen said, letting out a light laugh at her own expense as she remembered the incident. "They're a pretty good band. The lead singer has a really good voice...but I like yours better."

"Y-You do…?"

"Yep." Colleen said sincerely, causing Graham to blush a bright red.

Faking a cough in order to hide this, Graham replied, "T-Thanks."

"No problem," Colleen said with a warm smile, and together, the two spent the next few seconds silently looking into eachother's eyes. The moment between the two was soon interrupted, however, when they heard an electronic beeping sound emit itself from their morphers.

Lifting his left arm up to his face, Graham pressed a button on his Morphin' Brace before saying, "Finally, we're able to get ahold of you guys! Why didn't you answer earlier?"

"The Captain didn't want to risk Tubaloid's song taking control of us through the comm-link, so he made us shut it down. He also made us mute the battle field." Lieutenant Woods said from HQ. "Anyway, listen, Alicia and I have been studying Tubaloid closely, and I think we found a way to counter his mind-control."

Hearing this, Colleen lifted her Morphin' Brace to her mouth before chiming in with, "Really? What is it?"

"I'm getting ready to explain it to you, but I should warn you, first." Martin said rather cryptically. "It's gonna sound a little...stupid."

"With all due respect, Lieutenant, we just got our rear ends handed to us by an evil robot made from a tuba." Graham pointed out. "Pretty sure it doesn't get any stupider than that."

"If you say so," Lieutenant Woods replied. "Okay, listen up. According to the data Alicia and I have compiled, Tubaloid's weird tuba-shoulder… _thing_ is pretty much impervious to any and all weaponry you two have at your disposal. It's basically indestructible by conventional means."

"And this helps us _how?"_

"I'm getting to that," Lieutenant Woods said, sounding a little annoyed. Seeing this, Lieutenant Rose rubbed her husband's shoulder in order to get him back on track, prompting him to continue with, "Anyway, like I said, his tuba-shoulder, totally impervious to all of your weapons. However, there is one other tool that you two have at your disposal that should do the trick."

"That being…?"

"Your voices." Lieutenant Woods began, pausing for a moment before continuing. "I'm still a little fuzzy on the actual details, but somehow, Alicia was able to determine that the only way to counter Tubaloid's song was with another song. Something about the power of music or something, I don't know. From what I gather, all you need to do is sing a positive song at full blast and it'll get through to Colin and the others and un-brainwash them. The civilians should all follow suite."

"You're sure about this?"

"Of course." Lieutenant Woods said, rubbing the back of his head before adding, "Alright, I'm not one hundred percent certain, but it's the only solid idea we've come up with so far. All I know for a fact is that your weapons _will not work_ , so as of right now, this plan is your best bet."

"If you say so, Lieutenant. We'll give it a try." Colleen said with a nod, disconnecting from the comm-link before turning to Graham and saying, "So, what do you think we should sing?"

"I don't know, Colleen, this is a really loose plan. Seriously, we have no idea if this'll work, and if it doesn't, we're only gonna be drawing attention to ourselves. Besides, I have a really flat singing voice, even if their theory about music being the key is correct I don't think it'll work if I'm one of the people singing..."

"Lieutenant Woods said it himself, Graham. This plan may or may not work, but it's the only plan we've got." Colleen told him. "Besides, your singing voice is _not_ flat. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your friend."

"Promise…?"

"Promise." Colleen said with a smile, before teasing him by saying, "What, are you worried you'll get stage fright or something?"

"What? No, of course not. I mean, everyone else is brainwashed right now, so it's not like they'll know it's me out there." Graham pointed out. Looking down at the CD he was holding, he looked back up and said, "You know what? I know exactly which song we should do. Nick, c'mon. We're gonna need your help to set up."

"You got it!" Nick said with a salute, following his human counterpart into the back room as he began gathering multiple items, including but not limited to microphones and microphone stands. Once they had finished gathering their desired materials, they opened the front door of the music store and walked back outside, seeking to set up shop as soon as possible.

* * *

 _A Half Hour Later…_

"Alright, everything's hooked up and ready to go," Cheetah Nick said, giving Graham and Colleen a thumbs up as he finished connecting the microphones to the town square's intercom system

Turning to face the Buddy-Roid from the makeshift stage she and Graham were standing on, Colleen turned to face her red counterpart, giving him a small smile in an attempt to ease his obvious worry.

"You ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be..." Graham mumbled nervously, turning to face the road just in time to see Tubaloid and his army of mind-controlled citizens stumble into view. Grabbing ahold of the microphone in front of him, Graham fumbled to get it off the mic stand before raising it to his mouth and saying, "What's up, everybody? You guys ready to rock?"

"Well what do ya know! This has taken an interesting turn." Tubaloid observed, letting out a hearty laugh as the zombified people around him simply groaned in confusion. "The amusement you provide me with knows no end, Buster Red! Please, continue."

" _He's gonna really regret saying that here in a minute or two,"_ Colleen said to herself, turning to Graham before saying, "Let's do it."

Giving the Yellow Ranger a nod, Graham turned to Cheetah Nick and gave him a thumbs up, prompting the Buddy-Roid to press play on a nearby CD player that was connected to the intercom. As a result, background music began to play, filling the town square as Tubaloid and his army of mindless minions looked on.

"Intriguing. _.._ they wish to upstage me by putting on a concert of their own." Tubaloid observed, clenching his fist before saying, "No matter...we'll just have a little battle of the bands in order to see which one is better!"

With that, he began to play his song, prompting Cheetah Nick to grab two pairs of noise-canceling headphones and toss them to Graham and Colleen. Catching the headphones, the two Rangers proceeded to slip them on, effectively preventing Tubaloid's song from having any effect on them whatsoever. This thoroughly enraged Tubaloid, who clenched his fist as the music coming from the intercom system began to pick up. Looking to eachother and sharing one final nod, Graham and Colleen turned their attention back to the crowd of mind-controlled people, gripping their microphones tightly as they began to sing the song that they had chosen to perform.

 **Graham:** ~ _Life is just a lineup, tell me when my time's up, too much on my mind, today! There's so much left that I would like to say! When I start to climb up, will you pull my line up, or am I just in the way? I think about it every single day...I think about it every single day.~_

 **Graham and Colleen:** ~ _Fix us, 'cuz we keep falling apart! Just keep falling apart! We're tired of being alone!~_

 **Graham:** _~Fix me, 'cuz I keep falling apart!~_

 **Colleen:** _~Just keep falling apart!~_

 **Graham:** _~Would someone find me?~_

 **Colleen:** _~Life is just a lineup, tell me when my time's up, too much on my mind, today! There's so much left that I would like to say! When I start to climb up, will you pull my line up, or am I just in the way? I think about it every single day...I think about it every single day.~_

 **Colleen and Graham:** _~Fix us, 'cuz we keep falling apart! Just keep falling apart! We're tired of being alone!~_

 **Colleen:** _~Fix me, 'cuz I keep falling apart!~_

 **Graham:** _~Just keep falling apart!~_

 **Colleen:** _~Would someone find me?~_

Growing rather annoyed by the song they were playing as it began growing louder and louder, Tubaloid shouted, "Enough!", clenching his fist before increasing the volume of his own song in an attempt to finish things once and for all. However, Graham and Colleen remained undeterred, closing their eyes and focusing with everything they had as they came up on the song's bridge.

 **Graham:** _~Now I feel like something's going on, I feel like something's going on. Now I feel like something's going on. Now I feel like something's going on.~_

 **Colleen:** _~Now I feel like something's going on, now I feel like something's going on, now I feel like something's going on, now I feel, heeeeey!~_

 **Graham:** _~Now I feel like something's going on! I feel like something's going on! I feel like something's going on! I feel something!~_

Somehow, by some miracle, the sound coming from the intercom grew louder and louder, until it overpowered the sound coming from Tubaloid's tuba-shoulder. Eventually, it grew so loud that it caused his tuba-shoulder to literally short out, putting a stop to his song and causing all of the people with Tubaloid to snap out of their mind-controlled haze. Together, they expressed their confusion to one-another in hushed whispers, as Colin, Nate, and Shawn also snapped out of it.

Looking to eachother and nodding, the still-morphed Rangers turned and ran up on stage to join their red and yellow counterparts, standing by their side as the two threw off their headphones and proceeded to finish their duet.

 **Colleen:** _~Fix us, 'cuz we keep falling apart. Just keep falling apart…I'm tired of being alone...~_

Colleen and Graham: _~Fix us, 'cuz we keep falling apart! Just keep falling apart! We're tired of being alone!~_

 **Graham:** ~ _Fix me, 'cuz I keep falling apart! Just keep falling apart!~_

 **Graham and Colleen:** _~Would someone find me…?~_

Taking a deep breath as they finished singing, Graham and Colleen gently placed their microphones back into their stands before turning their gaze towards eachother, looking into eachother's eyes much like they did earlier.

However, just like before, their moment was interrupted-this time by Tubaloid, who practically _shook_ in anger as he came to a realization-his plan had failed.

"Why you...you miserable brats!" He squelched, struggling to come to terms with his failure. "How in the hell did you manage to do that?!"

Letting out a bit of a chuckle, Graham shrugged his shoulders before saying, "What can I say? You should never underestimate the power of a good tune."

"Thanks for freeing us, dude." Shawn said, giving his red counterpart a pat on the shoulder. Looking to Colleen, he said, "You too, Colleen. Nice duet, by the way."

"Thanks. We don't exactly have time to celebrate right now, though." Colleen pointed out, turning her attention towards Tubaloid.

"Why...you'll pay for this!" The Metaloid roared, cupping his hands to his mouth before saying, "Yo, Enter! I could really use those Buglars of yours right about now!"

Warping in from out of nowhere, Enter stepped onto a nearby rooftop and let out a sigh, saying, "I knew that idiot was gonna need backup sooner or later. He'd better not screw this up. I mean, he _knows_ Buglars don't grow on trees, doesn't he?"

With that, the Avatar thrust out his hand, causing his energy-tendrils to shoot out and materialize a large battalion of Buglars, which immediately rushed to join Tubaloid's side. Seeing this, all of the Rangers' recently un-brainwashed classmates started to panic, which prompted Colin to grab one of the microphones and tap on it in order to see if it was still on.

" _I've got this,"_ Colin told the others, turning to face the crowd of innocent people as he spoke into the microphone, saying, "Attention citizens of Starview Heights, this is the Blue Ranger speaking! I need everyone to clear the area, please! It's not safe right now. I repeat, please evacuate the area! My teammates and I have business to take care of!"

Hearing this, the civilians obeyed his order without any hesitation, rushing away from the area as fast as they could as the Rangers watched from the stage.

Making sure that the coast was clear, the five turned their attention back to Tubaloid and his newly-summoned batch of Buglars, which had begun to surround the stage that they were standing on.

"Well, it looks like everyone got to safety. Now it's time to take care of business." Graham said, turning to Colleen before saying, "Would you like to do the honors?"

"I appreciate the gesture, but I think that you should do it." Colleen replied, her mouth forming into somewhat of a flirtatious grin.

"If you insist," Graham said with a shrug, brandishing his Morphin' Brace before saying, "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Graham and Colleen Morphing Sequence~**

"Alright, let's hop to it!" Graham ordered, rallying his team together. "Savannah Hunter! Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior! Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper! Buster Yellow!"

"Rhinoceros Power! Buster Gold!"

"Stag Power! Buster Silver!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!"

"Objective: Take down Tubaloid before he has the chance to brainwash anyone else with his song! Ready…?"

"GO!" The five teens hollered in unison, hopping off of the stage in order to charge into battle. The second they finished their roll call, the Buglars dashed toward them, and the two sides clashed within a matter of seconds.

Using his superstrength, Colin punched and kicked his way through the Buglars, wiping most of them out with a single hit and severely damaging the rest. Summoning his Spy-Blaster, the Blue Ranger took a crouched position, gunning down the survivors as they ran at him with their weapons drawn.

Meanwhile, Nate and Shawn worked in tandem to defeat the Buglars; Nate slashed at them with his Drive Blade while Shawn shot them with his Morphin' Blaster. Blocking a swing from one of the Buglars, Nate slashed it across the stomach, causing it to spark uncontrollably. Kicking it in the abdomen in order to knock it back, he watched it exploded before clapping his hands together and saying, "Piece of cake,"

Seeing that he had his guard down, another Buglar began to sneak up on him, but this was noticed by Shawn, thanks to his hyper-detection. Turning his attention away from the crowd of Buglars he had been shooting, the Silver Ranger proceeded to aim at the lone Buglar, saying, "Hasta la vista, baby,"

Pulling the trigger, he shot the Buglar point-blank in the head, destroying it before it could launch its surprise attack on Nate. Noticing this, the Gold Ranger turned and looked down at the broken robot, before turning to his brother and saying, "Dude, nice shot..."

"Thanks, I try." Shawn replied, and together the two turned their attention back to the rest of the Buglars.

Finally, Graham and Colleen were working together. Graham used his Spy-Saber to cut down the Buglars, while Colleen opted to use her Spy-Blaster, gunning down the stragglers that somehow managed to dodge her red counterpart's attacks.

Within minutes, the Buglars had been disposed of. Seeing that they had taken care of the footsoldiers, the five teens regrouped, while Tubaloid stomped his foot in anger, a low growl escaping from his mouth.

"Gah, I hate you miserable Power Punks!"

"Um, it's Power _Rangers."_ Colleen corrected him. "Why does everyone get that wrong?"

"Who cares?! It doesn't matter what you five are, because pretty soon you'll be dead!" Tubaloid roared. "Now come at me!"

"If you say so," Colin shrugged, turning to the others before saying, "You guys ready to take out the trash?"

"When are we ever _not_ ready?" Shawn replied, letting out a light chuckle. "Let's do this."

"Don't take any chances, guys." Captain Shields advised them via the comm-link. "Even without that song of his, Tubaloid is still pretty strong."

"Cap's got a point," Nate said, looking to Graham. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." Graham replied, pressing the button on his Transpod in order to materialize his Buddy Visor. Grabbing the device, he spoke again, saying, "Let's power up!"

With that, he attached the Buddy Visor to the front of his Morphin' Brace, causing it to emit an electronic click. The other Rangers followed suite, with Colin and Colleen summoning their Buddy Visors and Nate and Shawn summoning their Beetle Boosters.

"Buddy Armor Mode: Engage!"

"Beetle Booster: Engage!"

Now that they were all in their upgrade forms, Graham gripped his Spy-Saber tightly before saying, "It's time to finish this!"

"You heard the man! Let's go!" Nate hollered, and together he and Shawn ran at Tubaloid, swinging wildly at the robot with their Drive Blades. Hitting the Metaloid on the shoulder with the hilt of his sword, Nate continued, saying, "Take this, tin can!"

Ducking down and slashing Tubaloid's legs out from under him, Shawn added, "Yeah, that's for calling us puppets! And this one's for making me attack my friends!"

"Get-off me!" Tubaloid shouted, using his arms to shove the two backwards before hopping to his feet and charging dual energy-blasts in his hands. "You brats are gonna pay for that!"

"I beg to differ!" Nate said, using his telekinesis to throw the Metaloid high into the air before slamming him back to the ground.

"Why...you'll pay for that, you little prick!" Tubaloid growled, scrambling up to his feet and reaching out in an attempt to grab the Gold Ranger by the ankle.

"I don't think so!" Shawn said, stepping on the Metaloid's arm in order to hold him in place. Using his hyper-detection in order to find his weak spot, he said, "Colin, hit him dead on in the chest!"

"Right on!" Colin said, placing his hands on the ground below him and using his material-osmosis to materialize a boulder. Lifting it above him, he prepared to throw it at Tubaloid.

Seeing this, Shawn grabbed Tubaloid by the arm and front-flipped, using the leverage and momentum to bring the Metaloid back onto his feet. He then moved behind him and grabbed his arms, holding them tightly in order to prevent him from moving. "Do it!"

"You don't have to tell me twice, this-thing's-HEAVY!" Colin grunted, using his superstrength to lob the boulder at Tubaloid's chest, causing it to explode on impact.

"Dammit!" Tubaloid swore as he was launched backward by the attack, landing on the ground and rolling backwards. Moving into position, Colleen leapt into the air, using her superagility to amplify her jumping power.

Once she reached a certain height, she yelled, "Rabbit...KICK" before gliding back down, spinning her body around in a way that caused her to become almost drill-like, delivering a literal drill-kick to Tubaloid's body that created a crater underneath of him. She then back-flipped away, as Tubaloid struggled back up to his feet, seething in anger.

"I've had about enough of you five!" Tubaloid boomed, charging a giant energy-blast in his hands. "Get ready to die!"

"I don't think so!" Graham hollered, taking a stance before lifting his left arm in front of his face and pressing a button on his Buddy Brace. Out of nowhere, orange rings of data formed in front of the Red Ranger, as he positioned himself much in the same manner that a track star would right before the start of a big race.

"Volcanick ATTACK!" He and Cheetah Nick called out in unison as he supersped forward, passing through the energy rings and momentarily vanishing, his entire body being temporarily replaced by a holographic image of a cheetah.

Letting out a roar, the holographic cheetah ran right through Tubaloid, slashing him with its claws before passing through to the other side, where it disappeared and was replaced by Graham.

"This...this isn't how this was supposed to go..." Tubaloid whined, as his body began to spark uncontrollably. "This...this is bullshit!"

"Watch your language," Graham said, snapping his fingers right as Tubaloid exploded.

* * *

"Alright!" Lieutenant Woods cheered, watching the battle-field as Graham and the other Rangers deactivated their power-up forms, reverting back to their standard Ranger suits. "They did it! I knew they could do it!"

"I knew they could too, Martin." Lieutenant Rose replied, giving her husband a smile before an electronic beeping noise emitted itself from her computer. Returning to her station, she spoke again, saying, "It's not over yet, though...incoming transfer!"

* * *

Looking down at his Morphin' Brace and seeing the countdown timer, Graham turned to Cheetah Nick and said, "Looks like it's that time. You ready to go?"

"I'm always ready," Cheetah Nick said with a laugh.

"Good, because it's time." Lettuce told them, lifting his arm in order to gesture over towards a nearby building, where Enter could be seen.

"Bon debarras, Spy-Busters." Enter said to himself as he shot out his energy-tendrils, reviving Tubaloid as the portal to Hyperspace opened. Watching as a giant robot fell out of the portal and landed on the ground, he turned around and warped away, but before saying, "Adieu,"

Leaping into the cockpit of the giant robot, the newly-revived Tubaloid let out an evil laugh, saying, "Hahaha, you little pricks are in for it, now!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Graham said, as he, Colin, and Colleen lifted their morphers to their face and said, "Activate: Buddy-Roid, Console Mode!"

With that, the Buddy-Roids transformed into their console modes, which the Red, Blue, and Yellow Rangers then proceeded to scoop up in their arms. Meanwhile, Nate and Shawn summoned their Drive Blades and transformed them into their steering wheel mode, just in time to see their Zords burst onto the scenes.

"Let's go, guys!" Graham said, leaping into the air in order to board his Cheetah Zord. Seeing this, the other four followed suite, boarding their own Zords and gripping the controls tightly.

"Artillery Rush Megazord Formation: Activate!" The five hollered, performing the steps necessary to combine their Zords.

 **~Megazord Formation Sequence~**

"Artillery Rush Megazord: Online!" The Rangers declared, working together to pilot in order to pilot their Megazord into battle.

"Let's take this guy down for good!" Nick said, his face lighting up on Graham's console.

"Y'know, for once, I agree with you on something, Nick." Lettuce replied from Colleen's console. He proceeded to address his human counterpart, saying, "You ready, Princess?"

"Yep. Let's finish this." Colleen said with a nod, and together, the five rangers willed the Megazord forward. Meanwhile, Tubaloid gripped the controls of his own robot, willing it to move forward as well.

"Let's start with some missiles," Colin suggested.

"Firing missiles," Shawn replied, flipping a few switches above his head in order to fire a volley of missiles towards Tubaloid's robot.

However, Tubaloid managed to maneuver his robot so that all of the missiles missed-he even managed to catch the last one in his robot's hand. Tossing the now-useless projectile aside, he laughed, saying, "You brats aren't the only ones with firepower! I have missiles, too!"

Lifting its right arm, Tubaloid's robot fired a volley of missiles at the Megazord, causing it to fall on its back.

"Woah!" The Rangers shouted, grabbing for their controls in order to will the Megazord back to its feet.

"Rangers, you can't take another hit like that," Captain Shields warned them via the comm-link. "You need to end this now."

"Roger that," Graham said, rolling the Megazord to the left in order to dodge another volley of missiles before turning to the others and saying, "You heard the man!"

"Victory Blast: Charging!" All five Rangers and all three Buddy-Roids shouted at once, as they began to charge a final attack into the Megazord's tank-barrel. Once it finished charging, Nate worked on locking on to Tubaloid's robot.

"Victory Blast: Away!" They hollered, firing a golden ball of light at Tubaloid's robot that caused it to begin sparking uncontrollably.

"No, this can't be happening again!" Tubaloid screamed. "I don't wanna die again!"

Looking up to see a large chunk of debris break off from the ceiling of the cockpit and fall towards him, Tubaloid let out one final, "NO!"

Hitting the Metaloid on the head, the piece of debris fell to the floor and broke into tiny pieces. Tubaloid was sent flying out of the robot, and he screamed at the top of his lungs until he hit the ground, dissolving into data on impact. His robot only lasted a few more seconds before it inevitably exploded, ridding Starview Heights of its threat.

"Alright!" Banana cheered. "We did it! Good work, guys!"

Standing up and folding his arms, Graham said, "Mission: Complete!"

* * *

"Well, looks like they called off school for the rest of the day," Colleen said as she got off the phone with Allison, who had just called her in order to check on her. Looking to Graham, she said, "Wanna take a walk?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Graham said somewhat nervously, looking to the others before saying, "Go on ahead to HQ, guys."

With that, he followed his yellow counterpart as she walked down the sidewalk, a beautiful smile on her face as she looked up at the sky.

"It's a beautiful day outside, isn't it?"

 _Not as beautiful as your smile…_ Graham thought to himself, before looking away and furrowing his eyebrows. _Wait, what?_

Shaking his head in order to clear his head, he looked to Colleen and smiled back, saying, "Yep, it is! It's a good thing school's out for the rest of the day."

"Definitely," Colleen said cheerfully. Looking down, her expression changed to a more serious one, and she rubbed her arm before saying, "Hey, listen…"

"Yeah?" Graham asked, confused by the Yellow Ranger's sudden change in mood. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just...look, I know all that stuff you told me about Serena wasn't easy. I'm...sorry if I opened up any old wounds."

Stopping in his tracks and reaching out to place his hands on Colleen's shoulders, Graham looked into her eyes and said, "You're fine, Colleen. I'm not upset that you came over...in fact, I'm kinda glad you did. Being around you is kind of soothing...especially when I'm feeling down."

"Really?" Colleen asked, feeling her heart start to beat a little faster as her cheeks started to flush.

"Yeah. I really like being around you, you're a really nice person, and you make me happy."

"Thanks." Colleen said, grinning to ear to ear. "I feel the same way about you."

"Really? Cool," Graham said with a slight blush, and together the two turned around and continued their walk. Clearing his throat and summoning all of the courage within him, Graham said, "Hey, listen..."

"Yeah?"

"My uh, my church is doing this youth event this Friday..." Graham started rather nervously. "It's for the youth group, but Cameron says we can invite our friends, too...like, y'know, school friends. There'll be a church service but then afterwards there'll be games and pizza and stuff."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And um...I was just wondering...um..." Graham stammered, swallowing the lump in his throat before saying, "I know you don't usually go to church, but would you wanna go? It'd be really fun with you there."

"I would love to," Colleen beamed, unable to hide her happiness. "Of course I'll come."

"Awesome," Graham said, before he felt a buzzing in his pocket. Reaching for his phone, he opened it to see a text from Tammy, causing him to rub the back of his head in slight embarrassment. Looking back up at the Yellow Ranger, he said, "Well, anyway, my Aunt just texted me saying I'm late for dinner, so I should probably head back. Want me to walk you back?"

"I would love that," Colleen said, and the two turned back around in order to make their way over to the others. "So, this youth event, it's after school, right?"

"Yeah. It'll start around eight and probably end around nine or ten." Graham told her. "Mark your calendar."

"Will do," Colleen said with a mock-salute, causing Graham to laugh.

 _I...I don't think I've ever felt this feeling before…_ Graham thought to himself, staring off into the clouds. _Am I...in love with her?_

Standing still for a moment and then looking around to make sure no one was watching him, Graham shrugged his shoulders, thinking, _Makes sense._

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

 _Later that Night…_

Graham was on his computer, attempting to work on the novel he was writing. However, he kept getting distracted, as thought of Colleen popped into his head. Now that he had identified what he was feeling, he couldn't seem to get the Yellow Ranger out of his mind.

Letting out a sigh, the Red Ranger saved his work before exiting out of his word processor, deciding that he wasn't going to get anywhere that night. He then turned around in his computer chair, his eyes immediately landing on a CD by a certain favorite band of his on his dresser.

" _Huh...Hawk Nelson."_ Graham said to himself, walking over to his dresser and grabbing the CD. Walking back to his computer, he opened the CD case and took out the CD. Pressing the button on his disk drive, he watched as the tray slid out before placing the disk inside and closing it. Opening his file explorer, he navigated to the CD's files, surfing through them until a certain song caught his eye.

" _That one sounds good..."_ Graham said to himself, clicking play and causing his computer to open the song using his media player program. As the song began to play, Graham sang along, a smile forming on his face as he thought about his yellow counterpart.

 **Graham:** _~I saw her yesterday_

 _And I've never felt a feeling_

 _Like the one I felt today_

 _And now, she's taking over me_

 _I've never met anyone like you_

' _Cuz I never could find the words to write you_

 _She's been on my mind (she's working overtime)_

 _She's got perfect reasons, says she loves to talk to Jesus!_

 _I think I believe her, when she says_

 _Life could be so simple, if we all just learned to pray!_

 _She's got every little thing I wanted,_

 _And it still feels just like the day it started!_

 _I've said goodbye to my broken heart_

 _And I could never express the way I felt before tonight!_

 _She's not an ordinary girl, I can see it in her eyes._

 _I'm just an ordinary boy, God must've heard my prayers last night!~_

Exiting out of the media player as the first verse of the song ended, Graham smiled to himself and said, "Yeah, I'm in love..." before shutting down his computer for the night and walking over to his bed.

" _Dear Lord Jesus...don't let me screw this up."_ Graham said. " _Amen."_

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

 **(*As the music of the song begins, we see a sweeping shot of a map of the world. Zooming in on America, we see Georgia; zooming in even further, we see Starview Heights. Standing on top of the map, we can clearly see Graham and the other Rangers, who are standing still, stoic looks on their faces. Looking up, they collectively take a fighting stance, as an army of Buglars runs as them and the vocals of the song begin*)**

 **~What makes all of us hate? We're all the same,**

 **We roll the dice, and we play your game!~**

 **(*Transitioning to the city square, we see Enter standing on a rooftop. Waving his arm, he orders a battalion of Buglars to attack the Rangers, locking eyes with Graham, who is visibly angry. Clenching his fist as the Avatar warps away, Graham brandishes his morpher, transforming into Buster Red and prompting the others to follow suite.*)**

 **~We complicate, show us the way,**

 **Before it's too late, and the whole thing breaks~**

 **(*Together, the five leap into action. Colin uses his superstrength to smash his way through the robotic footsoldiers, while Shawn shoots them with his Morphin' Blaster, using his hyper-detection in order to prevent anyone from being flanked*)**

 **~We have a name, we all create,**

 **Everything else, the mistakes we make!~**

 **(*Meanwhile, Colleen uses her superagility to evade the Buglars, as she guns them down with her Spy-Blaster. The ones she misses try to get away, but they are cut down by Nate using his Drive Blade.*)**

 **~We'll make a change, we'll concentrate,**

 **Before we suffocate!~**

 **(*Using his superspeed, Graham skips right past the Buglars and heads straight for the Metaloid, delivering a swift punch to its jaw before kneeing it in the chest. He then attempts to roundhouse kick the robot, but it grabs his foot and tosses him aside, causing the Red Ranger to land on his back.*)**

 **~Can't hold this in, and keep it quiet any longer!**

 **I've fallen in, and now this feeling's getting stronger!~**

 **(*We transition to another scene, where an unmorphed Graham can be seen falling through an endless sky. Reaching his hand out, he tries to scream, but finds he is unable to speak.*)**

 **~You take my breath away!~**

 **(*Falling into the darkness, Graham tries to scream once more, to no avail. Suddenly, he shoots up out of bed, revealing this to have been a nightmare*)**

 **~Now I'm trying to get up, I'm trying to retrace,**

 **My steps back, to wherever I messed up!~**

 **(*Back at the battle, a still-morphed Graham struggles to his feet, summoning his Spy-Saber. Rushing towards the Metaloid, he attempts to slash at it, but it repeatedly evades his attacks, annoying the Red Ranger to no end.*)**

 **~Is forever enough?**

 **I'm holding on!~**

 **(*We transition back to the nightmare, this time starting from the beginning. Inside the void, Graham is hanging off of a cliff, and is about to fall. Standing at the top is Colleen, who reaches out to him, attempting to pull him up.*)**

 **~I know you'll be there,**

 **Whenever I wake up!~**

 **(*Graham succeeds in grabbing her hand, but he accidentally pulls her further down the cliff edge. Realizing she'll fall with him if he doesn't let go, Graham rips his hand away, falling down the cliff while screaming her name. Waking up from the nightmare once more, the Red Ranger takes a series of shallow breaths, calming himself down as the song comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

* * *

 **A/N:** And episode fourteen bites the dust! (Finally, that took _forever!_ ) I'm sorry for making you guys wait again; I really wanted to get this done sooner than I did, but real life got in the way. I've been really busy job-hunting and stuff, and whenever I wasn't busy with that I just kept getting writer's block or being too lazy to sit down and work on it. (Funnily enough, when I finally did finish it last night I went to post it, but couldn't. Idk if any of you guys were home yesterday but if you were, you probably noticed that Fanfiction was pretty much on the fritz all day. Which sucked for me, because FFN is my favorite website, and yesterday was kind of my birthday.)

Anyway, sorry for making you wait. I'll try to be faster next time but I can't promise anything. I really need to work on getting my driver's license, so at some point I'm gonna have to put this story on a brief hiatus while I study up for the test and everything. I'm hoping to get through at least Episode 20 before I have to do that, but these episodes have been taking so long that I'm not sure. The next one is a two-parter, so I should be able to at least get part one out before too long. Anyway what I'm trying to say is that I want you guys to bear with me, here.

Thank you all for your support through all this. I may've had a rough weekend, but you guys are still the greatest, and I love and appreciate you all! Leave a review sharing your thoughts on the episode and I'll see you guys next time! (Oh, and there's no episode preview this time. The next batch of episodes are kind of a surprise and I don't wanna ruin the surprise just yet. Anyway, see you guys later.)

 **(Update: Just as I was about to post this this morning, the power in my neighborhood went out and it took a few hours to come back on. Luckily since I use a tablet to write with and not a desktop PC, I didn't lose any of my work, but I had to wait to post this. Basically, this would've been uploaded like four hours ago if I had gotten my way.)**

 **(Update II: Oh, and I forgot to mention this, but I changed the ending theme this episode. If you read the opening and ending every chapter you probably already noticed but I know some of you skip past them so I just thought I'd make a formal announcement about it. The opening theme will be following suite in a few chapters; I was just gonna change them both at once around the twenty episode mark or something but thematically this chapter makes the most sense to debut the new ending so I decided to change it early. Anyway enjoy your day/night, everyone! I hope to be back soon with that two-parter!)**


	15. Ep 15: Green Storm, Part 1

**A/N:** Hey guys, it's Update Time! Surprised? I know, I am too! Lately these chapters have taken _at least_ a month for me to write...of course this one _is_ the first half of a two-parter, so...I guess it's not that surprising that I finished it faster. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I hope you enjoy the new episode, _because..._ it's Sixth Ranger time!

Yep, you read that correctly! _That's_ what the big surprise was that I wanted to save by not doing an episode preview last time. In this next set of episodes, I'll be introducing the sixth member of the Spy-Busters team, and as you can probably guess from the title of this two-parter, their color is...FEBREEZIO! No, I'm kidding, it's Green. Febreezio isn't a real color. (That's an Impractical Jokers reference, btw. There's an episode where Sal and Joe have to make up names of colors that don't exist during one of the challenges, it's a really funny segment. The whole show is hilarious, actually. Seriously, check it out if you haven't seen it. It's like every other hidden camera show except the pranks make you laugh instead of making you feel sorry for the people being messed with.)

Anyway, yeah. Let the debut episode(s) of our sixth ranger commence! Feel free to leave a review if you so desire. Those are always fun to read ;)

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

It was early morning, and Graham and the others were fighting a Metaloid inside a warehouse. All five Rangers were in their power up forms, and the fight was taking a bit longer than expected.

The Metaloid, which was red in color and seemed to be themed around a fire extinguisher, stood its ground as the Rangers charged towards its position. Lifting up his right arm to reveal an arm-mounted fire extinguisher, he aimed it at the Rangers and started spraying in their general direction.

"Guys, look out!" Nate warned his teammates, back-flipping away in order to avoid the attack. Heeding his warning, the other four also jumped out of the way.

"Holy crap, it's eating through the floor!" Colin exclaimed as he watched the liquid come into contact with the concrete, making a sizzling noise as it began melting through it. "Sprayloid tried to spray us with acid!"

"Well, it's a good thing we dodged it, then." Lettuce told him, his voice coming from Colleen's Buddy Armor. Addressing his human counterpart, he said, "Wouldn't you agree, princess?"

"Definitely," Colleen replied, brandishing her Spy-Blaster before saying, "I think it's time we wrapped things up."

"I couldn't agree more." Graham said, brandishing his own Spy-Blaster and combining it with his Spy-Saber to form Scope Mode. Aiming it at Sprayloid, he spoke again, saying, "Let's take him down!"

"Right!" The other four said in unison. Combining their Spy-Blasters with their Spy-Sabers, Colin and Colleen aimed them at Sprayloid before saying, "Spy-Blaster: Snapshot...STRIKE!"

"Morphin' Blaster: Finale...FINISH!" Nate and Shawn added, aiming their Morphin' Blasters at the Metaloid.

"No!" Sprayloid screeched as the five teens pulled the triggers, sending five golden beams of energy hurtling towards him. The beams cut right through his armor like a hot knife through butter, causing his body to begin sparking uncontrollably. Moments later, he exploded into data, and the Rangers lowered their weapons.

"Finally, we did it," Colin said. "That guy took forever to beat."

"You're telling me!" Lettuce agreed, as he and the other two Buddy-Roids separated from their human counterparts and re-materialized on the warehouse floor. Lifting up his arm, he cheered, saying, "Now let's blow this popsicle stand!"

"Not yet, Lettuce." Colleen told her Buddy-Roid. "We have to make sure there isn't going to be an incoming transfer, remember?"

Sensing a presence behind them thanks to his hyper-detection, Shawn turned around and spotted Enter before addressing the Avatar, saying, "What about it, Enter? You got a giant robot for us to fight this time?"

"Sadly, no. I'm afraid I'm out of Enertron at the moment." The Avatar replied. Scoffing a little bit, he continued, saying, "Don't worry, though. Next time I'll bring one, and my Metaloid will use it to crush it like the insects you are."

Turning around to leave, Enter held up his hand in a form of a wave, saying, "Vous voir, Spy-Busters."

With that, he warped away, leaving the five Rangers and three Buddy-Roids alone. Reaching for their morphers in order to demorph, the teens looked to eachother and let a collective sigh of relief.

"That was a close one," Cheetah Nick pointed out, looking to Graham before saying, "Even after you guys activated Buddy Armor Mode, he still hit you pretty hard."

"Yeah, he was pretty tough," Nate agreed, reaching up to adjust his glasses with his thumb before adding, "Even in Boost Mode, Shawn and I almost got our butts kicked."

"The Vaglass...they're getting stronger." Colin realized.

"They are?" Banana questioned, the steering wheel that made up his face starting to spin around as he began to panic. "Oh no, what're we gonna do?!"

"I don't know, but the Captain says he has a pretty good idea." Lieutenant Rose revealed, her voice emitting itself from Nate's morpher. "He wants you five to report to HQ for an immediate briefing."

"Roger that, mom. We'll be there right away." Nate replied, putting his Morphin' Blaster in his pocket before turning to the others and saying, "Mom says to report to HQ, apparently the Captain wants to talk to us about something."

"We should head there right away, then." Graham said. "Everyone follow me."

* * *

"Recognized: Graham, B-06."

"Recognized: Colin, B-04."

"Recognized: Colleen: B-05."

"Recognized: Nate, B-07."

"Recognized: Shawn, B-08."

"Alright, you're here." Lieutenant Rose said from the Common Area, where she had been waiting for them, her tablet resting in her arm. Typing in some sort of message into it, she motioned for the others as they stepped out of the teleporter. "Follow me, the Captain wants to see you in the labs."

* * *

"Rangers, glad you could make it," Captain Shields said rather casually as Graham and the others filed into the Research and Development labs, having been escorted there by Lieutenant Rose. "I've called you here for a really important announcement."

"And that is?" Nate asked, as he and the others each took a seat in one of the metal chairs that had been set up.

"Why don't you tell 'em, Doc?" The Captain suggested, looking over to the side where Professor Tennet was standing.

"I suppose that would suffice, yes." Professor Tennet replied, stepping closer to the Captain before turning her attention to the Rangers, who were now all staring at her intently. "Rangers, I have some news for you. As of today, we're going to be initiating stage three."

"Stage three? Stage three of _what?_ " Shawn questioned, tilting his head in confusion.

"Could you try and be a little less cryptic, Doc?" Colin chimed in, reaching up to adjust his glasses with his thumb before adding, "We're not very good to guessing games."

"I suppose I can elaborate if that is what you want. We're getting ready to initiate the third phase of Project: Ranger." The Professor told them. "You're going to have a new teammate soon."

Hearing this, the five teenagers looked to eachother, their eyes full of surprise and slight concern. Turning his attention back to the front, Graham furrowed his eyebrows, thinking to himself, _A new Ranger...now?_

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**

 **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**

 **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**

 **(*Shots of all five Rangers flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, Colleen is riding a bike, Nate is writing something in a journal, and Shawn is playing a handheld videogame console. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**

 **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**

 **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**

 **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**

 **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**

 **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**

 **(*A now teenage Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist as the others follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, with the other four quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the five spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**

 **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**

 **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**

 **(*A shot of the five Rangers piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot is shown. Gripping the controls, they each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**

 **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**

 **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**

 **(*The scene transitions to show Graham and the others standing side by side, all five of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the five instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, they all rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 15: Green Storm, Part 1**

Getting over his initial shock, Shawn looked to the Captain and said, "I mean no disrespect, Captain, but...why do we need another Ranger?"

"Yeah, why?" Colin echoed, folding his arms. "Haven't we been doing fine on our own?"

"I didn't say you weren't, Colin." Captain Shields replied. "But the fact of the matter is, the Vaglass are continuing to get stronger. Soon, even with your upgrade forms, the Metaloids will be too powerful for you to handle. That's why we're going to activate _this."_

With that, Captain Shields turned to Professor Tennet and nodded, prompting the scientist to reach for a remote on a nearby table. Grabbing it in her hand, she turned towards a large holoscreen and pointed the remote towards it, pressing the button in order to turn it on.

Displayed onscreen was an image of a new ranger suit, which was like the ranger suits used by Graham, Colin, and Colleen, albeit with slight differences. Instead of being colored red, blue, or yellow, it was green in color, and instead of being themed around a cheetah, gorilla, or rabbit, it seemed to have a hippopotamus motif.

Gesturing to the holoscreen, Professor Tennet spoke, saying, "This is the Buster Green Ranger Suit. As you can see, it is similar to the Base Ranger Suits used by Busters Red, Blue, and Yellow, but it is immensely more powerful, both in offense and in defense. This is thanks to its larger energy output, which is made possible thanks to the morpher used to power it."

Pressing another button on her remote, Professor Tennet walked to the center of the room, as a large glass case rose up from the floor. Reaching inside the case, she reached inside and pulled out a familiar device-a device that was almost identical to a Morphin' Brace. However, it had some major differences in term of color-whereas a normal Morphin' Brace was painted in blue and silver, this new Morphin' Brace was cast in white plastic, with visible red wires running through it. The lens of this Morphin' Brace, which would've been orange on the regular version, was instead a translucent red, and the strap itself was the same white color as the plastic the device was cast in.

"This is the Morphin' Brace V2," Professor Tennet began, holding the device out for the others to see. "It is an upgraded version of the Morphin' Braces used by Busters Red, Blue, and Yellow, and has yet to leave the prototype stage."

"Woah, cool..." Shawn murmured, his facial expression indicating he was somewhat in awe of the new device.

"Our eventual aim is to bring V2 to mass-production in order to replace your current morphers, but for now, Buster Green will be the only Ranger system using the new model. Lieutenant Woods is also busy designing a new Zord to go along with it. Anyway, we're going to begin searching for viable candidates for the Buster Green system soon. Do you five have any questions?"

"Yeah, actually." Nate said, raising his hand. Receiving a simple nod from the Professor, he proceeded to ask his question, saying, "Do you have a certain type of Metahuman in mind for this? Y'know, kinda like how Shawn and I's suits were designed for Metas with mental-based powers. Is there a particular ability you want this person to have?"

"Not exactly, no. The list of potential Metahuman candidates is fairly short at the moment, so we can't exactly afford to be picky."

" _So basically, you'll probably just pick any random Metahuman who's willing to fight with us,"_ Colin muttered under his breath. " _Brilliant."_

Seeing the scowl on Colin's face, Professor Tennet addressed him, saying, "Is something wrong, Buster Blue? Your current facial expression seems to suggest that you're unhappy about something."

"No, Doc. Everything's just _peachy."_ Colin replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Really? Then...why are you scowling?"

Hearing this, Colin face-palmed, letting out an annoyed sigh while the Professor continued to look confused. Speaking up, Captain Shields decided to defuse the situation by saying, "It's nothing, Professor, he's fine. Anyway, that's about it for the presentation, Rangers. You are dismissed."

"Sir, yes sir!" Graham and the others said in unison, standing up from their chairs and saluting the Captain before making their way out of the lab.

Once they were back in the Common Area, Colin grumbled underneath his breath, saying, " _Man, I can't believe we're gonna get another Ranger..."_

"What's wrong, CV?" Shawn asked, having heard what the Blue Ranger said despite his attempt at being discreet. "You don't want another Ranger?"

"Not really, no. I mean, it takes time for a team to gel, and adding members left and right will just complicate things and ruin the team dynamic. Besides, this is _our_ fight."

"Maybe so, but this is bigger than our personal vendetta, Colin." Colleen pointed out. "This is a _war,_ and losing it doesn't just mean losing a shot at revenge. It means losing _everything._ And since I don't expect the Vaglass to stop getting stronger anytime soon, I think we need all the help we can get."

"But-"

"Colleen's right, Colin. This isn't just about avenging our parents anymore." Graham said, cutting the Blue Ranger off. "Look, I'm not crazy about the idea either, but the Vaglass are becoming more and more powerful everyday. I don't know how things will turn out, but I _do_ know this-Captain Shields has never let us down before. If he thinks we need another Ranger, who are we to argue?"

"I...guess you have a point." Colin relented, listening to reason. "It's like you said, Dad's never steered us wrong before. Why would he start now?"

"Everything'll be fine," Nate assured his blue counterpart, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Now, what say we forget about Ranger business for a little while and go hang out at the mall like normal people?"

"That could be fun. They just got done remodeling it, and according to Holly, they added a bunch of new stores and stuff." Colleen said, looking to Graham before saying, "You in?"

"Yeah, definitely. I just gotta run home really quick and grab my wallet, I'll meet you guys in the Food Court."

"Sounds like a plan!" Shawn chirped, and together the five Rangers stepped into the teleporter in order to exit HQ.

* * *

"Alright, here we are." Graham said as he pulled up to the driveway of the Glover House on Cheetah Nick, who was in his motorcycle mode. Coming to a halt, he hopped off the bike before saying, "Wait here, Nick. I'm just gonna run in and grab the wallet real quick, I'll be back out before you know it."

"You got it," Cheetah Nick replied, his face lighting up on the dashboard of the bike as Graham made his way up the porch steps and knocked on the front door. A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal Tammy, who smiled the second she saw her nephew.

"Graham, you're back!" She exclaimed, giving her nephew a hug before ushering him inside. "How'd it go?"

"Oh, you mean the Metaloid fight? Yeah, it was nothing..." Graham lied, not wanting to worry his Aunt with the details. "Listen, I just came back to grab my wallet, the others and I are gonna go hang out at the mall for a couple hours. Is that okay?"

"I suppose so, but you'll have to take your brother with you," His Aunt replied, causing the teen to furrow his eyebrows in confusion.

"Brother? Wait, do you mean-"

"Yep!" He heard a voice say from the kitchen. Turning around, Graham spotted someone sitting at the kitchen table-namely, a tall and skinny Caucasian teen with shaggy blonde hair and hazel eyes. "I'm back!"

"Tanner!" Graham exclaimed, rushing over to the kitchen table and giving the boy a massive hug. "I can barely believe it, dude! It's been _ages_!"

"Yeah yeah, I know." William "Tanner" Pittman replied, before saying, "Could you stop hugging me? It's starting to hurt..."

"Oh, sorry!" Graham said apologetically, releasing his grip on his younger brother. "I'm just really excited to see you, that's all."

"It's okay. I'm excited, too. You were right, it really has been awhile since we saw eachother."

"Yep. You...hey, you got taller!" Graham realized, his mouth open wide with surprise as he saw how big the boy was getting. "The last I remember, you were barely taller than Eden."

"Hey, I wasn't that short!" Tanner said, sounding somewhat offended by his brother's remark.

"Relax, man, I was just teasing." Graham said, letting out a slight chuckle. "Anyway, I'm going to hang out at the mall with my friends. You wanna come with?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Tanner said, "Sure."

* * *

"So, you're thirteen now, huh?" Graham mused, leading his brother out the front door and towards the driveway.

"Actually, I'm turning fourteen in a couple days." Tanner reminded him. "February 14th is just a couple days away."

"It's already February?" Graham questioned, his eyes widening in realization. "Huh...time flies when you're having fun, I suppose."

"Yep, and it also flies when you become a Power Ranger," Tanner replied, gaining a look from his older brother.

"You mean...Aunt Tammy told you?"

"Actually, Seth did." Tanner corrected him. "And even if he hadn't, I think I would've figured it out sooner or later. I mean, that motorcycle you're about to get on doesn't look all that ordinary."

"Good point," Graham said, before continuing with, "Tanner, this is Cheetah Nick. He's my Buddy-Roid. Nick, this is Tanner, he's my little brother."

"You have a brother?" Nick asked. "Why didn't I meet him until now?"

"It's...a long story, I'll tell you on the way." Graham replied, hopping onto his Buddy-Roid's vehicle mode before turning to Tanner and saying, "Hop on."

* * *

"So, you guys are actually half-brothers?" Cheetah Nick asked, as Graham and Tanner rode down the streets of Starview Heights, heading for the local mall.

"Yeah. Different dads, same mom." Graham explained. "I've never thought of him any differently, though. I mean, half or not, he's still family."

"Well put, Graham." Tanner replied.

"Don't mention it," Graham replied. "Anyway, what brings you here? I thought your next visit wasn't until March."

"It wasn't, but Dad just got a job transfer, and we had to move here." Tanner explained. "From now on, he's agreed to let me see you guys a lot more often."

"Awesome," Graham said, a smile forming on his face. "It's a good thing I was about to go out, then. Since you live here now, you'll need someone to show you around."

"Sounds good." Tanner replied, as they entered the parking lot of the mall and slowed down to a halt. Hopping off of Cheetah Nick once they were parked, he changed the subject, saying, "So, you've made some new friends, huh? What are they like?"

"You're about to find out." Graham told him. "C'mon, they're waiting for us in the Food Court."

* * *

With that, the two brothers entered the mall via the nearest entrance, which led into a medium-sized clothing store. Making his way to the back of the store with Tanner in tow, Graham exited through the rear doors and transitioned into the main mall. With that, Tanner continued to follow his brother, as he effortlessly navigated the large corridors until they reached their destination-the Food Court.

"Well, here we are." Graham told his younger brother, as a voice addressed him from the other side of the room.

"Yo, Graham!" Colin hollered, waving the Red Ranger over from his spot at a nearby table. Turning their attention to him, Nate and Shawn joined in calling him over, prompting Graham to hold up his hand as a sign of his acknowledgment. He then motioned for Tanner to follow before crossing the room, speaking up as soon as he finished doing so.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"Nothing much, just waiting for Colleen to get here so we can get some food." Colin told him. "She went to the bathroom, and she's been gone for at least five minutes. I'm tempted to just order without her."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. She _is_ your sister, after all." Graham reminded him, letting out a light chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point..." Colin said, ironically right as Colleen arrived.

"Hey Graham! I see you made it." The Yellow Ranger said, smiling at her red counterpart as she walked up to the table. Spotting Tanner standing next to him, she added, "And you brought another friend of yours?"

"Actually, this is my brother." Graham corrected her, gesturing over to Tanner before saying, "Everyone, I'd like to formally introduce you to my younger half-brother. His Dad just got a job transfer, so they had to move here."

"Hey." Tanner said, offering the others a small smile. "My name is William, but you can call me Tanner."

This elicited a nod from everyone but Shawn, who tilted his head before saying, "Why Tanner?"

"Well, you see, 'William' was his paternal grandfather's name, so his dad wanted to incorporate it into his name, somehow." Graham explained. "'Tanner' was a name that both his dad and our mom really liked, but 'Tanner William' didn't sound quite right, so they ended up just naming him William and using Tanner as his middle name."

"People have always just called me Tanner, so it sorta stuck." Tanner added. "The only people who really call me William are my teachers and doctors and stuff like that. Oh, and my dad when I'm in trouble and he yells my full name in order to get my attention, of course."

"Ooh, the dreaded parental 'full-name' treatment." Shawn winced. "That's the _worst_."

"You've only been 'full-named' once," Nate pointed out. "And it was by _me_."

"Oh. Right..." Shawn said rather awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Looking to Tanner, he then said, "Anyway, I'm Shawn."

"And I'm his brother, Nate." Nate added nonchalantly.

"Sup, little dude? I'm Colin, but my friends call me 'CV'." Colin chimed in.

"I'm Colin's twin-sister, Colleen." Colleen said, extending her hand and offering the boy a smile before saying, "It's nice to meet you, Tanner."

"It's nice to meet you guys, too." Tanner replied, turning to Graham before teasing him by saying, "Y'know, Aunt Tammy told me all about the new friends you've been making, but knowing how shy you are, I almost didn't believe it."

"Hey!" Graham exclaimed, slightly offended by his brother's comment. Seeing this, Colleen placed her hand on her red counterpart's shoulder, gently rubbing it in order to calm him down.

"Relax, I'm sure he was just teasing you." She told him. "Besides, you've gotta admit, you _can_ be pretty bashful sometimes."

"I am not bashful." Graham said, blushing out of slight embarrassment. "I'm...standoffish."

" _Sure_." Colleen said, letting out a bubbly laugh that caused him to blush harder, but for different reasons.

"So…" Tanner began awkwardly. "Are we getting food, or what?"

* * *

And so, the six teenagers ate some food, before proceeding to leave the Food Court in order to explore the newly remodeled mall. Together, they spent the next few hours goofing off, checking out new clothing stores, playing games in the arcade, and participating in a couple rounds of indoor laser tag. Once they finished the final game, they made their way out of the laser tag arena, exchanging friendly banter as they removed their vests and hung them back up on the wall.

"Hey man, don't look so bummed." Tanner said to a rather downtrodden looking Graham, slapping him on the back as they made their way back into the lobby area of the laser tag arena. "You did good, Graham...but not as good as me. Seriously, did you guys see me? I was _awesome_!"

"Not as awesome as _me_ , little dude!" Colin countered, to which Shawn let out a loud laugh.

"Are you kidding me, CV? I smoked you both last round, and you _know_ it!"

Rolling his eyes at his brother's behavior, Nate muttered under his breath, saying, " _And to think, I was starting to think Shawn had a shot at not being the most childish for a change...go figure."_

"Yeah, you guys did great," Graham told them. "Real great..."

Tilting her head in concern, Colleen tapped her red counterpart on the shoulder and said, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I just…forgot how bad I am at laser tag." Graham said rather meekly, rubbing the back of his head. "That's all."

"Oh." Colleen said, giving him a small smile before adding, "Well, for what it's worth, I think you're a pretty good shot."

"Not nearly as good as you,"

Gesturing over to the electronic scoreboard which listed her as coming in at 5th place, Colleen countered with, "Nah, I did pretty terribly that last round."

"I wasn't just talking about laser tag." Graham said with a wink. "You're easily the best shot out of all us Rangers."

"T-T-Thanks," The Yellow Ranger managed to stammer, feeling her face heating up as a result of the compliment.

"Don't men-"

"Hey Graham, could I talk to you for a sec?" Nate asked out of nowhere, grabbing the Red Ranger by the arm and spinning him away from the others before he even had a chance to answer. "Cool. Look, it's about you and Colleen."

"What _about_ me and Colleen…?" Graham asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Don't play dumb, I'm far too observant to _not_ pick up on that. Then again, it's not like it takes a rocket scientist to figure out things have changed between you two." Nate began. "Now I'm only gonna ask you this once, and I want a straight answer, okay? Do you like her?"

"Ye...n...may...that's none of your...I don't have to...I don't wanna talk about this!" Graham sputtered.

"Well that makes everything _perfectly_ clear," Nate replied sarcastically, folding his arms before continuing with, "Look, you don't have to worry, okay? You're one of my best friends, you can tell me the truth without worrying about everyone else finding out. Now, do you like her or not?"

" _I...think maybe it's a little past 'like' at this point."_ Graham mumbled, feeling his face heat up slightly.

"You mean you-"

"DON'T SAY IT!" Graham screamed rather uncharacteristically, clamping his hand over his gold counterpart's mouth in order to silence him. His face was now red as a tomato, if not _more_ so.

Fighting out of his friend's grip, Nate attempted to calm his friend down, saying, "Relax, I already told you I'm not gonna tell anybody. I just wanna know because I think you two are practically made for eachother, and I don't wanna see you screw it up. I wanna help you."

"R...Really?" Graham asked. "You really think we'd be good together?"

"Yeah, I do. I mean, you guys are practically dating already. You do _everything_ together."

"We do not," Graham countered, clearly a little embarrassed by this statement.

"Dude, she's even coming to all your church events, now. You never invite _any_ of us to church!"

"...Y'know, we're having a Youth Night next Friday, you and Shawn are more than welcome to-"

"Don't change the subject," Nate chided. "Look, I can tell by watching you around girls that you don't have a lot of experience talking to them-"

"Neither do you, the only girl I've ever seen you talk to is Iris, and everyone else in our grade is too afraid to talk to her."

"Well, that's a shame, they're missing out on a really great person." Nate said, blushing a little at the thought of the petite slasher fan. Realizing what Graham was doing, he scolded him, saying, "I thought I told you not to change the subject!"

"Look, this just isn't something I wanna talk about right now, okay? I've got enough to worry about with the whole 'New Ranger' thing and all the tests coming up at school, I don't have time to talk about my feelings."

"So you _admit_ that you have feelings for her, then?" Nate replied, his mouth forming into a cheshire cat-esque grin.

"Not another word," Graham told him, turning to leave. Nate proceeded to open his mouth in order to speak, but before he could do so, Graham beat him to it. "I said not another word!"

"Sheesh...and I thought _I_ was stubborn." Nate thought aloud, rolling his eyes as he watched the Red Ranger walk away. Letting out a bit of a chuckle, he began to make his way back over to the others, looking to rejoin them.

"Man, this city is _awesome_!" Tanner exclaimed, pumping his fist in excitement. "I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE FOR A DAY AND A HALF, AND I ALREADY LOVE IT HERE!"

"Gee, and I thought Shawn was a little too excitable at times." Colin said, covering his ears with his hands.

Spotting something out of the corner of her eye, Colleen spoke up, saying, "Hey, what's that car-?"

Turning to see an out of control car speeding towards his younger brother, Graham screamed, "Tanner, look out!"

"Wha-?" Tanner asked in confusion, spotting the car just seconds before it crashed into his body, sending him flying.

"TANNER!" Graham screamed at the top of his lungs, as he and the others watched helplessly as Tanner fell on the ground, immediately falling unconscious. Dashing over to his brother and feeling a wave of dread wash over him when he noticed he was bleeding, he screamed again, saying, "TANNER, NO!"

 **~To Be Continued...~**

* * *

 **A/N:** Well...that was surprisingly dark. Oh, and in case you're wondering, no, I'm not _that_ evil. I don't wanna spoil anything, but I will tell you this-Tanner _did not_ die. Have no fear, no one is heartless enough to kill off an innocent fourteen year old. Or at least, I'm not. I _am_ going somewhere with this, though. (You can probably put the pieces together yourself without much difficulty, I've never been the best at subtly building up to things.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed part one, despite it's rather short length. (What is with me, btw? My episodes are either way too long or incredibly short, lol, like there's no consistency and I love it!) I'll (hopefully) be back soon with the second part, which will be the final episode to include "Firing Squad" as the opening theme. So y'know, if you've never actually read through the opening sequence, you might want to next time since it'll be your last chance. Y'know, unless you go back and reread older chapters. Anyway see you next time. Feel free to review with any thoughts, critiques, or predictions!


	16. Ep 16: Green Storm, Part 2

**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm back with part two! I almost finished this last night, but I felt kinda sick and it was getting really late, so I decided to just go to bed and finish it this morning, instead. Anyway, I just woke up about an hour ago, and I'm _definitely_ sick, but hey, I finished the chapter, so that's cool. Anyway, please read and review!

(Oh, and if it's not too much to ask, say a quick prayer for me or something. If you're not really a religious person than that's fine, but if you are and you're willing to pray for me, I'd really appreciate it. Other than being excited that I finished the chapter, I'm kinda miserable rn. Thanks.)

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

"TANNER!" Graham screamed at the top of his lungs, as he and the others watched helplessly as Tanner fell on the ground, immediately falling unconscious. Dashing over to his brother and feeling a wave of dread wash over him when he noticed he was bleeding, he screamed again, saying, "TANNER, NO!"

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" A voice exclaimed as the door to the car opened, revealing a man no older than twenty five. "I was falling asleep at the wheel and started drifting into another lane, so I over-corrected and lost control of my car! I am _so_ sorry!"

"If you're sorry, call an ambulance!" Graham snapped, turning to glare at the man with a look of pure anger in his eyes. When the man didn't move right away, he continued with, "NOW!"

"Okay! I'm doing it!" The man replied, his face conveying a look of guilt as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. The second they picked up, he spoke into his phone with a sense of urgency in his voice, saying, "Yes, 911? I need an ambulance, I was driving past the parking lot of Starview Heights Mall when I lost control of my car and crashed into a young boy. I think he's still alive, but he's bleeding, and he needs medical attention, fast. Please hurry!"

Seconds later, he hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket, looking to Graham before saying, "An ambulance is on its way."

"Thank you," Graham said blankly, not even bothering to make eye contact with the man. He then proceeded to gently lower Tanner on the ground in order to free up his arms, so that he could remove his hoodie. He then proceeded to wrap said hoodie around his brother's chest and tighten it, sacrificing the article of clothing in an attempt to stop or at least slow the bleeding. Closing his eyes as a wave of tears fell from them, he said a quiet prayer, saying, " _Dear Lord Jesus, please let him live…please! He's my little brother and I can't watch him die, I just can't! Please!"_

Opening up his eyes and looking up to the sky, Graham cried out in sorrow, unable to put his feelings into words as he felt a wave of despair fall over him. Seeing this, Colleen turned away, trying desperately to hold back tears of her own as she felt a pang of sympathy begin gnawing at her.

 _I don't know if I can bear to watch this…_ She thought to herself, a single tear running down her cheek. _I mean for crying out loud, he's just a kid! He's too young to die...and Graham can't lose his brother. He's lost too much already...we've ALL lost too much already. So please, God…_

" _Please have mercy on us..."_ She prayed, unsure of what else to do in that moment.

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

 **(*As the music of the song begins to play in the background, establishing shots of Starview Heights are shown. A sweeping shot of the city quickly transitions to a shot of Psycho in Hyperspace, with Enter bowing in front of him. Following this, the camera speedily pans upward towards the show's logo as the vocals begin*)**

 **~This is our manifesto, we've given all the best to you,**

 **Like it was the least that we could ever do.~**

 **(*Shots of all five Rangers flash on-screen, showing them doing everyday activities. Graham is reading a manga, Colin is typing on his laptop, Colleen is riding a bike, Nate is writing something in a journal, and Shawn is playing a handheld videogame console. One by one, they turn to the camera and smile, as translucent images of their helmets flash over-top of their faces for a few moments before disappearing.*)**

 **~We're soaked in gasoline, while you watched as everything just burned,**

 **Letting your lighter do the dirty work.~**

 **(*The camera flashes to show Enter watching a recording of the day Psycho went rampant, with younger versions of Graham, Colin, and Colleen standing near their respective mothers' dead bodies, tears streaming down their faces. As a Metaloid points his weapon at the three and fires, Enter laughs, a sadistic smile on his face as he turns around, the hologram playing the video vanishing into thin air.*)**

 **~You'd better hold your ground, the end is starting now,**

 **So load your gun, a war is coming!~**

 **(*A now teenage Graham runs towards the camera, his morpher on his left wrist as the others follow closely behind. Looking down at the destruction being caused by the Vaglass, he morphs, with the other four quickly following his lead. Now in their Ranger Suits, the five spring into action, using their respective special-abilities to amplify their powers as they engage the Buglars.*)**

 **~We are all against the wall, won't be the ones that time forgot,**

 **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**

 **(*A shot of the five Rangers piloting their Zords into battle against a giant robot is shown. Gripping the controls, they each perform a series of button-presses, forming their Megazord in time to block an incoming attack from their foe. They immediately retaliate with an attack of their own, knocking the Metaloid's robot onto its back*)**

 **~If it's our fate, we're not afraid, yeah, we can face the firing squad!**

 **(Oh oh, oh oh)~**

 **(*The scene transitions to show Graham and the others standing side by side, all five of them lined up as Enter fires a blast of energy out of his hand, the energy hurtling towards them like a bullet. Raising their arms, the five instantly morph into their Ranger Suits, deflecting the attack as Enter watches in awe. Gripping their weapons tightly, they all rush towards their opponents, as the logo flashes on-screen once more and the opening ends.*)**

 ***End Opening Theme: "Firing Squad" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 16: Green Storm, Part 2**

 _I...I can't believe this is happening..._

It had been several hours since Tanner was struck by the car in the parking lot of the mall. Minutes after the driver called 911, an ambulance showed up to pick up the wounded boy, and he was subsequently rushed to the hospital. Soon after, Captain Shields arrived in order to pick up Graham and the others, having been notified of the emergency via a phone call from Colin. He proceeded to drive them to the hospital, while also making calls to Scott and Tammy, who in turn called Tanner's father Gary.  
Now, everyone was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, basking in silence as time seemed to freeze in place. They had sat there for hours, patiently waiting for news of Tanner's fate while fear and anxiety slowly gnawed at them.

"This...this is all my fault…" Graham said.

"That is _not_ true." Colleen told him, reaching out and rubbing the back of his shoulder in an attempt to soothe him.

"It is too..." Graham replied, swallowing a lump in his throat before continuing with, "I noticed the car at least thirty seconds before he got hit, if I hadn't of frozen up I could've used my superspeed to move him out of the way..."

"You don't know that." Colin countered. "The car was going really fast, there was no way you could've gotten to him in time. And even if you could've, how do you know you would've had enough time to get away from the car?"

"Colin's right. For all you know, you could've grabbed Tanner and gotten him out of the way only to get ran down yourself," Colleen said in a gentle tone. "Listen to me, you cannot blame yourself for this, okay? This is not your fault."

"I guess. I just...I feel like it is." Graham said sadly, looking down at the floor with a frown. "I mean, when mom died I didn't have any powers, but now? I feel like I could've done something, but I didn't...I wasn't there for him..."

"Stop it." Colleen said sternly. "I know you're scared, but you cannot blame yourself for this. Metahuman or not, you're still a regular person. You didn't have time to react, none of us did."

"I...I know. I just wish I had...I don't wanna lose him, Colleen..." Graham said, feelings tears well up in his eyes as he looked back up at his yellow counterpart. "Not like mom."

"This _isn't_ going to be a repeat of that day." Colleen assured him. "You prayed about it the entire ride over here. Have some faith."

"O...Okay." Graham relented, nodding his head as a sign of solidarity. "I will. Sorry for being such a mess."

"You're fine," Colleen said, giving the boy a small smile despite herself. Noticing she was still rubbing his back, Colleen blushed, retracting her hand before turning away from her red counterpart in an attempt to hide said blush.

With that, the next few minutes passed by in relative silence. Eventually, a nurse walked into the waiting room, looking to Graham and the others before addressing them.

"The surgery was a success. We were able to stop the bleeding." She began, drawing their attention as she continued with, "I wouldn't celebrate yet, though. There's still one more thing we need to take care of."

"And that is…?" Gary asked, a look of curiosity on his face.

"It'd be better if I just showed you," The nurse replied, prompting them all to stand up and follow her as she walked back towards the operating room. Stopping in her tracks, she looked over her shoulder and added, "I'm afraid only relatives are allowed to see him right now. Friends and extended family have to stay out here."

"Yes mam," Colin said begrudgingly, as he, Colleen, Nate, Shawn, and Captain Shields all turned and walked back into the waiting room, returning to their seats while Graham and the rest of his family proceeded to follow the nurse to Tanner's room.

* * *

"Here he is," The nurse began as she opened the door to Tanner's hospital room, where the boy in question was lying on a hospital bed, completely unconscious with his torso wrapped in bandages. Gesturing to him as his chest rose and fell with every breath, she continued, saying, "As I stated previously, the operation was a success, and we were able to stop the bleeding. On top of that, none of his organs or arteries were badly damaged. He has a few broken ribs, but those should mend in due time."

"What's the problem, then?" Tammy questioned. "You said there was one other thing to take care of."

"There is." A voice replied, coming from the doctor, who was standing in front of the window with his back turned to them. Turning around in order to face them, he continued with, "Like Nurse Miller says, he's no longer bleeding, but he _did_ lose a lot of blood during and prior to surgery, and we'll need to replace that. Unfortunately, we're currently out of blood in his blood type, so we'll need a transfusion from someone that shares it."

"Okay. What's his blood type?" Scott asked. "We've never had him for very long, so we don't have any kind of medical records for him."

"He has Type O-, just like his mother." Gary told him. "But she's no longer with us, obviously..."

"Is there any person in this room with Type 0-?" The Doctor asked. "I could screen for compatible candidates elsewhere, but we don't have much time. We need to replace the blood he lost as soon as possible, or he may not make it through the night."

"His older half-brother has it." Tammy revealed. Gesturing to the teen, she continued by saying, "Graham inherited it from their mother and his father."

"I see...well Graham, would you be willing to donate some of your blood to Tanner? We'll have to test you in order to verify that you're Type O-, but that shouldn't take more than a half hour with our equipment."

"Of course." Graham nodded without hesitation, looking to his brother's unconscious body before saying, "Anything to help his chances of survival."

Hearing this, the Doctor walked over to the door before motioning for Graham to follow, saying, "Right this way, please."

* * *

And so, Graham followed the Doctor into another part of the hospital, where they proceeded to verify the compatibility of Graham's blood with Tanner's. Once they were sure that he was indeed the same blood type, they drew some of his blood, which they then used in a blood transfusion for Tanner. Once the transfusion was complete, they dismissed Graham and his family, telling them that they could return first thing the next morning in order to check on the boy.

"So, how'd it go?" Colleen asked, as Graham and the others walked back into the waiting room and began gathering their things. Noticing the bandage on his forearm, she added, "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh, I uh, donated blood to him." Graham explained. "See, they managed to stop the bleeding, but he needed a transfusion in order to replace what he lost in the accident. They needed someone who had the same blood type as him, and once I found out I did, I volunteered right on the spot."

"Aw, that's sweet. Do you feel okay? I have some friends at school that have given blood, and they say they felt light-headed after donating."

"No, I'm fine." Graham told her, before adding, "Well, I feel a little woozy, but it has been a long day, and I'm pretty squeamish, so I'm sure those are factors. Anyway, the Doctor said to come check on him in the morning, so Scott and Tammy are gonna drive me over after church. Hopefully he'll make it..."

"Of course he will." Colleen said with an optimistic smile. "You gave him your blood, and you're a pretty resilient guy. I'm sure some of your good luck will transfer over to him."

"Yeah, you're right." Graham said, giving her a smile despite himself. "Anyway, thanks for the support, Colleen. It really means a lot."

"No problem," Colleen said with another smile, this one causing him to blush.

Faking a cough in order to hide this, Graham said a quick "Bye!" to her and the others before turning to follow his Aunt and Uncle, as they exited the hospital and headed into the parking lot. Within an hour, the Red Ranger was back home.

Turning off his bedroom light with a massive yawn, Graham slipped out of his jeans and practically collapsed into bed, falling asleep the second his head hit the pillow. The Red Ranger spent the next several hours in a dreamless sleep, the only thing keeping him from worrying about Tanner being his exhaustion…

* * *

 _The Next Morning…_

As soon as service let out at First Apostolic Church of Starview Heights, Graham and his family got their stuff and headed out the door, with none of them saying a single goodbye to anyone. Rushing over to their minivan, which was parked on the other side of the parking lot, the family of five hopped into the vehicle as soon as the doors were unlocked.

Within moments, Scott inserted the key into the ignition, turned it, and took the van out of park before backing out of the parking space. Putting it into drive, he sped out of the parking lot and turned right, heading away from the church and driving towards the hospital while going as fast as he could legally go.

It didn't take long for them to reach the hospital. Pulling up to the front entrance, Scott brought the van to a halt before turning to his wife and saying, "Alright Tammy, you take Graham, Seth, and Eden inside. I'll be right behind you as soon as I find a parking spot for the van."

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Tammy replied, giving her husband a nod before unbuckling her seat-belt and opening the passenger's side door. "C'mon kids, let's go."

With that, Graham unbuckled his own seat belt as the rear right-side door slid open. Hopping out of the van, he gestured towards his younger cousins, who followed his lead, unbuckling their seat-belts and hopping out of the van in order to follow after him. Making sure they got inside, Scott pressed a button above his head to shut the rear door once more before taking the van out of park and driving back into the parking lot, where he hoped to find an available parking spot.

As soon as they entered the lobby, they spotted Gary, who was standing at the front desk, talking to the receptionist.

Walking over to him with her children and nephew in tow, Tammy addressed him, saying, "Hey, Gary. Are you here to check on Tanner, too?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do now," Gary told her, turning back to the receptionist before saying, "Look, did he make it or not? If he did, I'll like to see him as soon as possible. I had to call off work to come here and I'm gonna be kinda pissed if I can't see my son."

"Yes sir, William is alive. Thanks to the blood transfusion from Graham, he's alive and well and we expect him to make a full recovery."

"Well can we _please_ see him, then?" Graham chimed in, growing somewhat impatient. "We've all been worried sick about him all morning, and now that we know he's okay we'd just really like to see him."

Nodding her head, the receptionist replied with, "Of course, sir. Lemme just call the doctor and let him know you're coming."

With that, she reached for a nearby phone and dialed the number for Tanner's room. Lifting the receiver up to her mouth, she spoke into it, saying, "Hello, Doctor Yost? Yes, this is Amy here at the front desk, I'm just calling to inform you that William's family is here to see him. Is he awake…? What? What do you mean he's not there…? Someone checked him out? Oh...well, okay, I'll tell them..."

Hanging up the phone with a somewhat weird look on her face, the receptionist turned to face Graham and the others before saying, "I'm sorry, but according to Doctor Yost, William was checked out of the hospital a little over an hour ago. Apparently there was some sort of side effect caused by the transfusion."

"Side-effect?" Tammy questioned, tilting her head in confusion. "What kind of side-effect?"

"He said something about his metabolism being _extremely_ high. Higher than anyone we've ever seen." The receptionist replied. "Doctor Yost says he called another medical professional and he came by and decided to transfer William to another facility for further analysis."

"Huh..." Graham said dryly, putting the pieces together in his head. "And just who might this medical professional be?"

"According to the form Doctor Yost just faxed me...he was checked out by a Dr. Lucas Sabre?"

"Lucas Sabre? That sounds...familiar." Graham said, stroking his chin. As he eyes widened in realization, he added, " _Too_ familiar..."

* * *

"Recognized: Graham, B-06." A computerized voice announced over the intercom system at GPU HQ, as the Red Ranger in question warped in via the teleporter and stepped out into the Common Area. Almost immediately, he was spotted by Lieutenant Woods, whose eyes widened the second they made contact with Graham's.

"Uh, hiya, Graham! How's it hanging?" The Lieutenant asked rather awkwardly, practically scurrying over to the teen.

"Yeah, fine, I guess. Listen, where's Tanner?"

"Tanner…? What are you-"

"Cut the act, Lieutenant. I know the Captain checked him out of the hospital under the alias 'Lucas Sabre', I recognize that from the day he took me here to assess my Metahuman abilities." Graham told him. Spotting the Captain as he walked across the hall, Graham addressed him, saying, "Captain, what's going on? Why'd you check Tanner out of the hospital?"

Turning to Graham with a look of surprise on his face, Captain Shields said, "Oh, uh...hi Graham. Didn't expect to see you here, today..."

"Answer my question." Graham said sternly, crossing the room to meet the Captain. "Why did you check my brother out of the hospital using an alias? The same one that you used to check _me_ out of the hospital over a decade ago, by the way. Just thought I'd throw that in there. I'm more observant than you give me credit for."

"I...suppose you are. I'm sorry if I offended you or insulted your intelligence in any way." Captain Shields said, rubbing the back of his head. "To answer your question, 'Lucas Sabre' is the alias I use to investigate potential Metahumans. As you know, the incident with Psycho's rampancy severely damaged the public image of the GPU, which forced us to 'shut down' and secretly remain active. In order to maintain the illusion that we had indeed shut down, I was forced to use an alias whenever I wanted to investigate something related to Project: Ranger."

"Project: Ranger…? Wait a minute, you brought Tanner here because you needed him for Project: Ranger…? Why would you do that? Tanner isn't a Metahuman."

"Well, he _wasn't_..." Captain Shields said somewhat awkwardly, taking a deep breath before looking the teen in the eye and saying. "Walk with me."

* * *

"As you already know, you and the rest and your teammates became Metahumans after Enertron was introduced into your blood stream via the energy-blasts you were directly hit with." Captain Shields began, as he and Graham walked down the halls of HQ, the latter listening to the former rather intently. "However, that is _not_ the only way a Metahuman can be created. After some extensive research on the subject, I have discovered there are numerous ways in which a person can develop a Metahuman ability. Some people are born with them, other people develop them after undergoing stressful situations, and others...others _inherit_ them."

"Inherit them…?" Graham questioned, his eyes widening in realization as he began to put the pieces together. "Wait a minute, the blood transfusion-?"

"That is correct." Captain Shields confirmed, as they reached one of HQ's various training rooms. Scanning his ID badge in order to open the door to the training room, he ushered Graham inside and gestured to the other side of the chamber, saying, "Look familiar?"

"Yeah..." Graham replied, stepping inside and looking around, a wistful look in his eyes. "This is where you first studied my superspeed..."

"Yep. And now, we're ready to study your brother's." Captain Shields said, causing Graham's jaw to drop a little. Nodding in order to confirm the boy's suspicions, he continued, saying, "That's right. By donating your blood to your brother, you introduced the same Enertron that flows through your veins into _his_ bloodstream, and now, he's inherited your ability of superspeed. Your brother is a Metahuman."

"W...Woah, this is c-crazy..." Graham stammered, still trying to fully process the information he had been given. "You mean he really-?"

"Yep! I really have superpowers!" Tanner hollered from across the room, superspeeding over to his brother and slugging him on the shoulder. "Hey Graham, what's up?"

"Nothing much, I'm just a little surprised..." The Red Ranger admitted, letting out a bit of a chuckle despite himself. "I mean...this is _unreal_."

"I'll say! Oh, thanks for the blood transfusion, by the way. Totallysaved my life. Well actually, it _literally_ saved my life. Thanks, bro." Tanner said, giving his brother a quick hug before superspeeding to the other side of the room, unable to contain his excitement. Superspeeding back to the Red Ranger, he added, "Oh, and the superspeed is awesome, too. Now I kinda wanna get ran over again to see what other superpowers I can get!"

"...Please tell me you're joking." Graham said, folding his arms and watching as his brother once again sped off to the other side of the room. Noticing that he was wearing a green jumpsuit of some sort, he tilted his head, saying, "What's with the green outfit…?"

"Oh, that?" Colin asked, as he, Colleen, Nate, and Shawn walked into the room, accompanied by Lieutenants Woods and Rose and Professor Tennet. "That was just the only jumpsuit we had that fit him."

"Though funnily enough, it _does_ match his Ranger color." Colleen added.

"Ranger color…?" Graham questioned, his eyes narrowing as he came to an immediate realization. "Wait a minute...please tell me you're not saying what I think you're saying."

"We are, Graham." Captain Shields replied. "I've made my decision. I've chosen Tanner to become Buster Green."

"What?! Why?!"

"Well, Buster Red, he's a prime candidate. His superspeed is off the charts; his readings almost rival the ones we have on file from you. Plus, we've been running tests on him for the better part of an hour, and he fits all the physical requirements."

"Physical requirements…? What about _age_ requirements?" Graham exclaimed. "I mean, does it not concern anyone that he's just a _kid?"_

"I'm not a kid, Graham! I'm turning fourteen in three days!" Tanner counter. "Besides, it's not like you have room to talk. You're only four years older than me."

"That's different, okay? I'm not anybody's younger brother!" Graham told him. "Look, I understand you wanna do this, but I almost _lost_ you yesterday! I _just_ got you back, I don't wanna entertain the idea of losing you again!"

"You _won't!"_ Tanner insisted. "I can do this!"

"I don't care if you can! Sometimes in life, even those who can, _shouldn't_." Graham said rather harshly. Taking a deep breath in order to calm himself down, he said, "Listen, I'm not trying to crush your dreams, but you have to try and see it from my perspective. I'm your _big brother._ I'm supposed to _protect_ you."

"But-"

"I'm sorry." Graham said rather solemnly, hanging his head a little bit. "But as team leader, I just can't agree to let you risk your life. I care about you too much to see you put yourself in danger like that."

Opening her mouth, Colleen began to interject, saying, "But Graham-"

However, before she could finish, a klaxon began blaring over the intercom, prompting Lieutenant Rose to look down at her tablet.

"It's just as I thought," She said, looking back up at the Rangers before saying, "There's a Metaloid terrorizing civilians at the mall!"

"That's our cue," Graham said to Colin and the others, prompting them to follow him as he turned and headed for the door. Stopping in his tracks, he looked over his shoulder at Tanner before addressing him in a stern tone of voice, saying, "Stay here. I'll be back soon."

With that, Graham and the other Rangers exited the training room, leaving Tanner alone with Captain Shields, the two Lieutenants, and Professor Tennet. Turning towards the young teen, the Professor cleared her throat, before speaking, a somewhat awkward look forming on her face.

"My apologies, Buster Green. I must admit that I do not know Buster Red very well, but I know him well enough to know that he usually isn't this stubborn."

"Yeah, I know..." Tanner replied, looking down at his feet. "He _does_ kinda have a point, though. I just wish he would realize _I'm_ scared of losing _him,_ too..."

Reaching out his hand, Captain Shields gave the green-clad boy a light slap on the back before saying, "Don't worry, Tanner. I'm sure your brother will come around."

"I hope so..." Tanner mumbled, and together, he and the four adults exited the training room and made their way towards the Command Room, where they sought to monitor the coming battle.

* * *

"Hahaha, I could do this all day!" A tall, blue Metaloid themed around drills hollered, as he led a large group of Buglars through a department store inside the mall. Turning to look at Enter, who was scanning one of the shelves with an amused smirk on his face, he spoke, saying, "Where to next, boss?"

"Just keep tearing the mall apart, Drilloid." Enter told him. "The Rangers are bound to show up soon, and when they do, I want you to keep them busy while I steal as much Enertron as I can get my hands on."

"Yeah, I'm afraid we have a bit of a problem with that plan." Graham said from out of nowhere, prompting Drilloid and Enter to turn and see him and the other Rangers, who were all standing outside the entrance of the department store. "Might I suggest you change it?"

"You've hindered my master's plans for _far_ too long, Buster Red." Enter snarled, his eyes glimmering with pure hatred. Turning to Drilloid, he said, "I don't care how long it takes or how you do it. I want you to kill them."  
"As you wish, Enter." Drilloid replied, watching Enter as he warped away, presumably to steal the mall's Enertron. Tuning to face the Rangers, he addressed them, saying, "You heard him. I'm going to kill you!"

"Funny. I don't know if I'm just remembering wrong, but I _swear_ that's exactly what the last dozen or so Metaloids said right before we kicked their ass," Colin quipped, a sarcastic smirk forming on his face. Turning to Graham, he continued, saying, "You think it's time, boss man?"

"Oh yeah. It's time." Graham replied, brandishing his Morphin' Brace before saying, "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!" The five hollered in unison as they performed the steps necessary to morph, morphing into their Ranger Suits in the blink of an eye.

Looking to his teammates, Graham addressed them, saying, "Skip the roll call. I wanna get this over with as quickly as possible."

"Oh…?" Drilloid asked, feigning curiosity upon hearing the boy's statement. "In a rush, eh, Buster Red?"

"Shutup," Graham snapped, hitting a button on his Transpod in order to materialize his Spy-Saber before grabbing it and gripping it tightly. "Objective: Take down Drilloid so we can stop Enter from stealing any Enertron! Ready…?"

"GO!" He and the other four shouted in unison, and within moments, the two sides clashed, with their conflict quickly spilling over into the rest of the mall.

"Y'know, out of all the things I thought I'd never do at the mall, this is definitely at the top of the list," Colin said as he took on the Buglars, using his superstrength to amplify his punching power.

"Ditto!" Shawn replied, as a nearby Buglar took a swing at him. Using his Drive Blade to block the attack, he kicked the robotic foot soldier in the abdomen, knocking it off its feet. Stabbing it in the chest in order to destroy it, he detected some Buglars sneaking up on Colleen, prompting him to say, "Colleen, look out!"

"Right!" The Yellow Ranger replied, taking a break from gunning down the Buglars in front of her to turn around. Spotting a trio of Buglars trying to flank her, she traded her Spy-Blaster for her Spy-Saber just in time to block an incoming swing, before using her superagility to vault into the air.

Landing on top of a nearby awning, she threw her Spy-Saber like a throwing knife, causing it to sink into the lead Buglar's chest. Re-materializing her Spy-Blaster, she leapt down from the awning and glided back down to the floor gracefully, using her rapid-fire technique to gun down the three foot soldiers before she even landed.

"Nice one!" Her silver counterpart complimented, elbowing a stray Buglar in the face when it tried to sneak up on him.

"Thanks," Colleen replied, and the two Rangers continued to fight their way through the army of robots.

Over in the Food Court, Graham and Nate were quickly being surrounded by dozens if not _hundreds_ of Buglars. Flipping over a metal table in order to use it as a makeshift form of cover, Nate brandished his Morphin' Blaster, which he then proceeded to use to gun down the robotic footsoldiers, in a vain attempt to slow their advance.

Dodging a series of energy-blasts from the Buglars, Graham slid behind the table, taking cover next to Nate. Firing off a few blind-shots with his Spy-Blaster, the Red Ranger peeked his head over the table, trying to assess the situation at hand.

"Man, they just keep coming!" Graham exclaimed, ducking his head back down just in time to avoid a large energy-blast that was fired in his direction. Looking to Nate, he continued, saying, "We need to finish this, and fast!"

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know!" Nate replied, a hint of aggravation in his voice. Poking his head out in order to take out three Buglars before ducking back down, he turned to Graham and said, "Got any bright ideas?"

"Yeah, I think I've got one," Graham said with a shrug of his shoulders, poking his head out in order to survey their surroundings. Gesturing towards a nearby scaffold, he asked, "You think you can lift that with your telekinesis?"

"I can, but it'll take a _ton_ of concentration, and even then I'm not sure how far I'll be able to move it." Nate replied. "Why? What are you gonna do with it?"

"There's no time to explain, just focus on moving that thing over here and I'll take care of the rest. Here, lemme borrow your Morphin' Blaster." Graham said, holding out his left hand.

Giving the Red Ranger a nod of approval, Nate handed over his Morphin' Blaster and began to focus all of his energy, attempting to take ahold of the scaffolding using his telekinesis.

Meanwhile, Graham stood up and took aim at the Buglars, duel-wielding the two different sidearms while letting out a battle cry. Running out from behind the table, he began to open fire, distracting the robotic footsoldiers while Nate continued to work on focusing his energy.

Grabbing ahold of the scaffolding using his mind, Nate attempted to lift it with his telekinesis, but was met with some resistance due to the sheer weight of the object he was trying to move. Grunting in pain as he summoned all of the might within him, the Gold Ranger eventually succeeded in picking up the scaffolding, which he moved towards himself before slamming it down in front of the table with a loud thud.

"Alright, I did it," Nate told Graham, who supersped back behind the table while continuing to fire energy blast after energy blast at the Buglars. Placing his hand on his head as he struggled to maintain consciousness, he added, "What...what now?"

"You'll see," Graham replied, returning Nate's morpher to him before hitting a button on his Transpod, materializing his Spy-Saber. Combining it with his Spy-Blaster to form the Combo Mode, he supersped towards the scaffolding, building up momentum along the way.

Making his way up the makeshift ramp, Graham waited until the last possible second before jumping off, using his forward velocity to launch himself into the air. Turning the dial on his Spy-Blaster, he aimed it at the scaffolding before saying, "Spy-Blaster: Snapshot...STRIKE!"

With that, he pulled the trigger, launching a golden beam of energy that struck the scaffolding and broke it apart, causing it to splinter off into several fragments. Getting the idea, Nate ducked down as low as he could get, as the shrapnel flew in all different directions, piercing the Buglars' armor and ultimately causing them to explode in a gigantic chain reaction. Landing back on the floor with a solid thud, Graham looked around, admiring his handiwork.

"Allllllright, nice one!" Shawn congratulated as he made his way into the Food Court, being closely followed by Colin and Colleen.

"That was some pretty good improv," Colin told him.

"Yeah, how'd you come up with that?" Colleen asked.

"Just did some quick thinking. It never would've worked without Nate, though." Graham said rather modestly, giving his gold counterpart a thumbs up before adding, "Nice work."

"Thanks," Nate replied as he stood back up to his feet. Scanning the room as if he was looking for something, he then said, "Wait a second, where's Drilloid?"

"Looking for ME?!" A robotic voice boomed, as the Metaloid in question drilled up through the floor beneath Nate, resulting in the Gold Ranger being sent flying. "You five must have pretty short attention spans!"

"I don't know, it's kinda hard to keep track of things when you're up against like, a thousand Buglars." Shawn countered. Tilting his head, he then added, "Wait, what were we talking about, again?"

"ENOUGH!" Drilloid roared. "No more games-it's time for you to die!"

"Again, you're not the first one to say that, buddy." Colin told him, taking a fighting stance. "Bring it on!"

"I'm going to make you regret being so arrogant, Buster Blue." Drilloid threatened, revving up his drill-arm before stomping his way towards the Rangers. "Now, who's first?"

" _I_ am!" Nate growled from his spot on the floor, pulling himself back up to his feet before running towards the Metaloid, Morphin' Blaster in hand. "Eat this!"

Letting out a battle cry, Nate charged towards his opponent, firing several energy-blasts at him as he did. Seeing this, Drilloid used his drill-arm to deflect all of the blasts, before delivering a swift uppercut to the Gold Ranger, once again sending him flying. Watching as his brother slammed into a nearby pillar, Shawn clenched his fist and turned to face Drilloid, practically seething in rage.

"You...YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Shawn screamed at the top of his lungs, gripping his Drive Blade tightly. Dashing towards Drilloid, he leapt into the air and swung downward with his blade. However, his attack was blocked by the Metaloid, who began dueling with the Silver Ranger; for the next minute or so, the two took turns swinging at eachother, with neither party really gaining the upper hand.

Growing frustrated, Drilloid continued to swing at the teen, saying, "Why-can't-I-hit you?!"

"It's called hyper-detection, tin can!" Shawn said defiantly, continuing his own attempts to hit his opponent. "I have the fastest reflexes on the planet!"

"Wanna bet?!" Drilloid countered, thrusting his drill-arm into the floor below him and burrowing beneath it.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Shawn hollered, whipping his head around frantically as he attempted to anticipate the Metaloid's next move. Stomping his foot on the floor, he exclaimed, "C'mon, quit hiding! Get back up here!"

"Careful what you wish for," Drilloid taunted as he drilled back up through the floor, resurfacing behind a nearby support pillar. Raising his drill-arm, he revved it up before driving it into said pillar, causing it to break and begin plummeting down towards the Silver Ranger.

"OH CRAP!" Shawn exclaimed just before the pillar crashed into his body, causing him to roll onto his back and demorph from the force of the blow.

Seeing her friend struggling to breathe as he lost consciousness, Colleen clenched her fist and said, "You...you monster! You're _unforgivable!"_

With that, she charged forward, using her superagility to vault into the air. As she began to glide back down, she gripped her Spy-Blaster tightly, aiming it at the Metaloid's head before pulling the trigger. Watching him duck out of the way of the blast just as she landed back on the floor, she grunted in frustration, before aiming at him again and firing another shot, this time following it up immediately with several more blasts.

"I...WILL...HIT YOU!" She declared, her tone filled with sheer ferocity.

"You're an excellent markswoman, Buster Yellow. I'll give you that. However," Drilloid began, pausing in order to raise his drill-arm, which he then used to deflect the incoming blasts right back at the Yellow Ranger. Watching as the blasts hit the girl head on and erupted into a trio of explosions, he let out a hearty laugh and finished with, "None of that matters if I can use your attacks against you!"

Trembling in anger at the sight of Colleen being harmed, Graham glared at Drilloid and yelled, "If you think you can hurt her and get away with it, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!"

"Oh really?" Drilloid taunted, motioning for the Red Ranger to come at him with his left hand. "Try me, Buster Red. I _dare_ you."

Hearing this, the Red Ranger tossed his weapons aside and let out a low growl, taking a fighting stance without a single word. Focusing all of his energy into his legs, he supersped forward, running faster than ever before. Slowing down as he came closer to his opponent, Graham skidded to a halt in front of the Metaloid. Drawing back his fist, he then proceeded to throw the strongest punch he could muster in the robot's direction. However, Drilloid saw it coming.

Grabbing the Red Ranger's wrist in order to stop the punch mid-swing, the Metaloid revved up his drill-arm before thrusting it into the boy's abdomen. This caused Graham to screech in pain, as the attack bore right through his Ranger suit and caused it to spark; blood and bolts of electricity flew in all directions.

"GRAHAM!" Colleen screamed, feeling rather helpless as she watched Drilloid draw back his drill-arm before striking Graham, sending him flying onto his back.

Demorphing the second he made contact with the floor, Graham clutched his chest, where there was now a clearly visible wound. Hot tears welled in the Red Ranger's eyes and he proceeded to grit his teeth, trying desperately not to scream despite the excruciating pain he felt.

"HAHAHA! Not so tough now, are ya?!" Drilloid taunted, cackling in laughter.

* * *

Watching all of this unfold from the Command Room, Tanner stood up from his chair, unable to contain his building rage. Clenching his fist so hard that his knuckles began to turn white, he spoke, saying, "I...I can't watch this anymore! I have to do something!"

Hearing this, Professor Tennet stood up, watching the young teen as he continued to speak.

"I don't care if I regret it later! I don't even care if I die! I can't just sit here and watch my brother and his friends get killed!" Tanner declared. "I'm going out there!"

"Alright then." Captain Shields replied. Turning to Professor Tennet, he gave the scientist a nod, saying, "You heard him, Doc. He's ready."

"Very well." Professor Tennet replied, reaching into her pocket and procuring the Morphin' Brace V2 before making her way over to Tanner. Taking a deep breath, she spoke, saying, "Now, there's no guaranteeing that we'll _ever_ be able to break the bond between you and this Morpher once its forged, so I must ask you this at least once. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"It doesn't matter. Sure or not, my brother will die if I don't do this." Tanner told her, holding out his left arm before giving her a nod. "Morpher me, Doc."

"As you wish," Professor Tennet replied, looking at the Morphin' Brace V2 one last time before solidly placing it on Tanner's left wrist, causing it to glow a bright green as it bonded itself to his DNA. Waiting until the glowing stopped, she looked to the boy and nodded her head, saying, "It's official, Buster Green. You're bonded to the morpher."

"Now go out there and save your brother," Captain Shields added, prompting the boy to give him a small salute before running out of the room towards the teleporter. " _Good luck."_

* * *

"Hahaha, this is so much fun! I could do this all day!" Drilloid boomed, watching over Graham and the others in sadistic glee.. "Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and I _do_ have other business to attend to."

With that, he stomped over to the Red Ranger and grabbed him by the neck with his left hand, lifting him high into the air and laughing in his face.

"How's that wound I gave you feeling? Huh, Buster Red?" The Metaloid taunted, as Graham glared at him with a look of disgust. "Y'know, I could finish you off right here and now...of course, that would limit the amount of suffering you have to go through, and a part of me really wants to hear you scream in anguish as I kill your friends, one by one. Yes...yes, I think I'll do you last. How does that sound?"

"You...you won't get away with this!" Graham spat, eliciting another laugh from Drilloid.

"Oh yeah? And who do you think will stop me?!"

" _I_ will!" A voice hollered from up above. Looking over his shoulder, Drilloid saw Tanner, who was standing at the top of the escalators, now wearing an unzipped black jacket overtop of a forest green t-shirt.

"Interesting...and just who do you think you are, little boy?" Drilloid questioned, tossing Graham aside before turning to face the newcomer.

"Tanner…?" Graham asked weakly, unable to believe his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he said, "What're you...doing here? I...I told you to wait for me at HQ!"

"I did!" Tanner told him. "But I couldn't wait any longer!"

"You...you don't understand, Tanner!" Graham shouted, tears welling up in his eyes. "You...you're all I have left of her! You're all I have left of mom! And if you die...it...it'll be like she never existed!"

"I know!" Tanner told him. "But I don't care!"

"I'm...I'm supposed to protect you..."

"We're supposed to protect _eachother_." Tanner countered. "That's what brothers do."

"But-"

"No more buts, Graham." Tanner said, a look of pure determination on his face. "You're not talking me out of this! I'm a Metahuman, now! I'm not just gonna let that go to waste when I can help people, instead!"

Warping in out of nowhere, Enter clapped his hands together in sarcastic applause before speaking.

"Well, well, well, this just got interesting!" The Avatar exclaimed, an amused smile forming on his face. "Who would've guessed that Buster Red had a little brother? And one that's a newly minted Metahuman, no less?"

"Enough talking!" Tanner hollered, raising his left arm to reveal his morpher. "It's Morphin' Time!"

With that, he began performing the steps necessary in order to morph. Raising his left arm upwards with his Morphin' Brace V2 facing outward, he turned the dial and simultaneously twisted his arm so that it stretched across his chest. Slamming his right thumb into the button on the front of the morpher, he raised his left arm up again before thrusting his right arm towards the sky, all while shouting, "Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Tanner Morphing Sequence~**

Tanner is standing in a blank white expanse, which slowly begins filling with color, forming into a digital representation of a beach. Taking a deep breath, the boy leaps into the ocean, which glows green as his body makes contact with the water.

As he swims through a ring of energy, a white form-fitting leather suit materializes on his body. Swimming back up, he leaps back out of the water, and his suit fills with color as he back-flips back onto the beach.

Finally, a bolt of lightning surges through the sand and strikes his head, forming his helmet and completing the transformation. Tanner is now morphed and ready for battle.

 **~End Morphing Sequence~**

Having successfully morphed into the Buster Green Ranger Suit, Tanner examined himself, completely in awe of what he'd become. Quickly getting over the astonishment he felt, he stood tall, as a feeling of pride surged through his body.

"Another Ranger?!" Drilloid exclaimed, unable to believe what he was seeing. " _Really_?!"

"Wetland Swimmer!" Tanner began, crossing his arms in a motion similar to that of an ocean wave before clenching his fists and taking a fighting stance. "Buster Green!"

"Interesting...but I'm afraid I cannot allow this." Enter said. Gesturing towards the new Ranger, he turned to Drilloid and said, "He cannot be allowed to live. None of them can."

"Understood!" Drilloid replied, as the Avatar warped away. Pointing his drill-arm towards Tanner, he addressed the Green Ranger, saying, "You heard him, you little punk! Child or not, all Rangers must die!"

"I'm not a kid," Tanner said calmly, looking around as dozens of Buglars warped in and began swarming his position. Pointing at Drilloid, he threatened him, saying, "I'm gonna take down your little toy robots, and then I'm coming for you. You've been warned!"

With that, he leapt into battle against the Buglars, using his superspeed to weave his way through the crowd of robotic footsoldiers. Skidding to a halt, he raised both of his fists in front of his face in a manner identical to that of a boxer, before proceeding to launch a flurry of punches towards his foes.

As a result, the Buglars attempted to retaliate, but Tanner blocked all of their incoming swings. Grabbing one of the Buglars by the wrists as it attempted to hit him, he yanked its katar-esque weapon out of its hand. Tossing the weapon aside without a second thought, he twisted his body and delivered a roundhouse kick to the robot's face, sending in stumbling backward and ultimately causing it to fall off the platform they were on.

From their vantage point on the lower level of the mall, Graham and the others watched as the Green Ranger repeated this process several times, sending Buglar after Buglar plummeting to their death. Meanwhile, the surviving foot soldiers took up a position on the other side of the platform, all of them aiming their weapons at the boy while his back was turned.

Turning around just in time to see them fire a series of energy-blasts in his direction, Tanner acted quickly, using his superspeed to dash forward and effectively avoid them. Skidding to a halt a few seconds later, he raised his left arm to his face, before speaking into his morpher.

"Hey, I don't know if anyone's listening on this thing, but I could really use a weapon." Tanner spoke into the comm-link. "Like that gun thing Colleen uses, do you have anymore of those?"

* * *

Hearing him on the other end of the comm-link, Captain Shields replied, "No, but I think we have something that's even better. Right, Doc?"

"Indeed we do," Professor Tennet replied from the labs, tapping into the comm-link using her ear-piece. Walking over to the display case in the middle of the room, she reached inside and grabbed something-namely, a gun type weapon that was almost identical to a Spy-Blaster, but with the same color scheme as the Morphin' Brace V2. "Buster Green, you may've noticed a little black box near your left shoulder. It's got a silver logo on it, and it looks similar to a radio."

"Yeah, I see it." Tanner said, looking down at his left shoulder. "What about it?"

"That's your Transpod, it sends a signal to HQ and allows us to teleport weapons to you," Professor Tennet explained, walking over to a strange device on the other side of the room and opening it up before placing the new weapon she was holding inside. Closing the device, she spoke again, saying, "Press the button on it. I'll send you the Spy-Blaster V2."

* * *

"You got it, Doc!" Tanner hollered, pressing a button on his Transpod and watching as the Spy-Blaster V2 materialized directly in front of him. Grabbing the weapon as it floated in mid-air, he examined it, saying, "Cool..."

"I don't mean to sound rude, but whenever you're finished admiring the weapon, you might try actually firing it," Professor Tennet said rather bluntly, watching the newest Ranger via her own video-screen.

"Oh, right." Tanner said somewhat awkwardly, gripping the weapon tightly and aiming it at the Buglars. Resting his finger on the trigger, he took a deep breath. "Take this!"

Pulling the trigger, Tanner watched as a trio of energy-blasts expelled themselves from the barrel of his weapon. Soaring through the air, the energy-blasts collided with the Buglars, creating an explosion that completely engulfed the foot soldiers, effectively destroying them all in one go.

"Alright!" Tanner hollered, pumping his fist in excitement. "That was _awesome_!"

"Forgetting something, Buster Green?" A voice asked from below. Tilting his head in confusion, Tanner turned just in time to see Drilloid, who drilled his way up through the floor and swung at the Green Ranger with his drill-arm, prompting him to superspeed out of the way.

"Yikes, I totally forgot about you," Tanner admitted, sounding somewhat embarrassed. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have like a sword or something for me, would you Doc?"

* * *

"As a matter of fact, I would." Professor Tennet replied. Walking back over to the display case, she reached inside and grabbed a weapon that was almost identical to a Spy-Saber, but again, in the same color-scheme as the Morphin' Brace V2. Carrying the weapon over to the teleportation device, she opened it up and placed said weapon inside before closing it again and saying, "I'm sending the Spy-Saber V2 now."

* * *

Hearing this, Tanner pressed the button on his Transpod, materializing the Spy-Saber V2. Reaching out and grabbing the weapon, he gripped it tightly, taking a fighting stance as Drilloid circled around him in an attempt to intimidate him.

"You really think you have what it takes to defeat me, boy?" Drilloid questioned, raising his drill-arm and revving it up. "Must I remind you, the other Rangers are all older and more experienced than you, and I beat them without any effort at all."

"That may be true, but I'm _not_ afraid of you, Drilloid!" Tanner declared. "So why don't you just shut-up and bring it?"

"You asked for it," Drilloid replied, thrusting his drill-arm in the Green Ranger's direction.

Using his superspeed, Tanner ducked out of the way of the incoming attack and rolled forward, flanking Drilloid with ease. Standing back up to his feet, he jabbed the Metaloid in the back with his Spy-Saber V2. As soon as the weapon came into contact with Drilloid, his armor sparked and an electric shock surged through his body.

"Ow! What the hell?!" Drilloid yelled, turning around to face Tanner. "Did you just shock me?"

"Yes I did," Tanner replied, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Now, it's time we ended this!"

With that, he pressed a button on his Spy-Saber, causing an electronic voice to announce, "Buster Time!"

Spinning the weapon in an arc before gripping it tightly, Tanner turned and supersped in the opposite direction. Stopping about a yard away from Drilloid, he turned back around to face the Metaloid, taking a stance similar to that of a track star at the beginning of a big race.

Dashing forward, he supersped back towards Drilloid. Before the robot even had time to react, Tanner delivered a running slash to the Metaloid's chest, all while shouting, "Spy-Saber V2: Stakeout...SLASH!"

Skidding to a halt on the other side of Drilloid, Tanner turned around just in time to see Drilloid twitch and tremble in pain, as electric shockwaves surged through his body. Letting out a scream of pain, Drilloid fell to his knees before exploding.

"Allllright!" Tanner cheered, pumping his fist in excitement before pressing a button on his Morphin' Brace in order to demorph. Turning around to see Graham and the others coming up on the escalator, he continued, saying, "Did you guys see me just now? I was _awesome_!"

"You were pretty awesome," Graham replied, giving his brother a small smile. "Sorry for forbidding you from being a Ranger, I was only trying to-"

"It's okay. If I were in your shoes, I probably would've done the same thing." Tanner said, forgiving his older brother. Gesturing towards his chest, he said, "Anyway, are you alright? You looked pretty hurt earlier."

"Oh, this? By some miracle, it turned out to only be a flesh wound." Graham replied. "Colleen helped patch me up while you were fighting Drilloid."

"Is _that_ why your chest is wrapped in a white blouse?" Colin asked, letting out a hearty laugh at the Red Ranger's expense.

"Leave him alone, Colin." Colleen said, as Graham rubbed the back of his head, blushing bright red with embarrassment. "It was the closest article of clothing I could find."

"Y'know, you _could've_ just used his shirt," Nate pointed out, to which Colleen blushed.

"Y-Y-You m-mean take his s-shirt off…?" The Yellow Ranger sputtered, flustered at the thought of a shirtless Graham.

"Relax, I'm just teasing." The Gold Ranger replied, stifling a laugh.

"It was actually a really efficient way of patching me up." Graham told her. "Thanks, Colleen."

"No p-problem..." Colleen replied, looking down at her feet in an attempt to hide her face, which was practically _glowing_ bright pink.

Clapping his hands together, Tanner spoke up, saying, "Well, if you guys are done chit-chatting, we should probably head back to HQ. Captain Shields'll probably want us to file a report, and Graham needs to swap out that blouse for an actual bandage."

"Right on, little dude." Shawn replied, lightly slapping the Green Ranger on the back. Turning around, the five headed for the 'down' escalator, as Shawn repeated, "Right on."

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

Seeing this from the doorway of a nearby store, Enter clenched his fist, unable to contain his anger.

"Merde!" The Avatar swore in French. "I can't believe that pipsqueak managed to kill Drilloid! If I were calling the shots, I'd revive him and transport a giant robot from Hyperspace in order to utterly crush the Rangers...but Monsieur Psycho would not approve. After all, this is the first new shipment of Enertron I've managed to steal in awhile..."

With that, the Avatar warped away, taking the canister of Enertron with him as he teleported back to his warehouse hideout.

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

 **(*As the music of the song begins, we see a sweeping shot of a map of the world. Zooming in on America, we see Georgia; zooming in even further, we see Starview Heights. Standing on top of the map, we can clearly see Graham and the other Rangers, who are standing still, stoic looks on their faces. Looking up, they collectively take a fighting stance, as an army of Buglars runs as them and the vocals of the song begin*)**

 **~What makes all of us hate? We're all the same,**

 **We roll the dice, and we play your game!~**

 **(*Transitioning to the city square, we see Enter standing on a rooftop. Waving his arm, he orders a battalion of Buglars to attack the Rangers, locking eyes with Graham, who is visibly angry. Clenching his fist as the Avatar warps away, Graham brandishes his morpher, transforming into Buster Red and prompting the others to follow suite.*)**

 **~We complicate, show us the way,**

 **Before it's too late, and the whole thing breaks~**

 **(*Together, the five leap into action. Colin uses his superstrength to smash his way through the robotic footsoldiers, while Shawn shoots them with his Morphin' Blaster, using his hyper-detection in order to prevent anyone from being flanked*)**

 **~We have a name, we all create,**

 **Everything else, the mistakes we make!~**

 **(*Meanwhile, Colleen uses her superagility to evade the Buglars, as she guns them down with her Spy-Blaster. The ones she misses try to get away, but they are cut down by Nate using his Drive Blade.*)**

 **~We'll make a change, we'll concentrate,**

 **Before we suffocate!~**

 **(*Using his superspeed, Graham skips right past the Buglars and heads straight for the Metaloid, delivering a swift punch to its jaw before kneeing it in the chest. He then attempts to roundhouse kick the robot, but it grabs his foot and tosses him aside, causing the Red Ranger to land on his back.*)**

 **~Can't hold this in, and keep it quiet any longer!**

 **I've fallen in, and now this feeling's getting stronger!~**

 **(*We transition to another scene, where an unmorphed Graham can be seen falling through an endless sky. Reaching his hand out, he tries to scream, but finds he is unable to speak.*)**

 **~You take my breath away!~**

 **(*Falling into the darkness, Graham tries to scream once more, to no avail. Suddenly, he shoots up out of bed, revealing this to have been a nightmare*)**

 **~Now I'm trying to get up, I'm trying to retrace,**

 **My steps back, to wherever I messed up!~**

 **(*Back at the battle, a still-morphed Graham struggles to his feet, summoning his Spy-Saber. Rushing towards the Metaloid, he attempts to slash at it, but it repeatedly evades his attacks, annoying the Red Ranger to no end.*)**

 **~Is forever enough?**

 **I'm holding on!~**

 **(*We transition back to the nightmare, this time starting from the beginning. Inside the void, Graham is hanging off of a cliff, and is about to fall. Standing at the top is Colleen, who reaches out to him, attempting to pull him up.*)**

 **~I know you'll be there,**

 **Whenever I wake up!~**

 **(*Graham succeeds in grabbing her hand, but he accidentally pulls her further down the cliff edge. Realizing she'll fall with him if he doesn't let go, Graham rips his hand away, falling down the cliff while screaming her name. Waking up from the nightmare once more, the Red Ranger takes a series of shallow breaths, calming himself down as the song comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

* * *

 **A/N:** And there you have it! Tanner is officially our sixth Ranger! Yeah, I bet you didn't see that coming, lol. Anyway, what are your thoughts on the chapter? Do you like Tanner as the Green Ranger, or do you dislike the idea of a kid sixth ranger? If you're feeling a little skeptical about the idea, don't worry-Tanner will _not_ be a repeat of Justin, lol. (And he _definitely_ won't be annoying like Kou from Dairanger and Riki from Ohranger. Trust me, I _hated_ those two, so I'll do everything in my power to make sure Tanner isn't obnoxious like them. And honestly he's not really that young anyway, but he _is_ a few years younger than Graham and the others, so he's still technically a child-ranger. Anyway, long story short, he's not gonna be like Kou or Riki. Or Kotaro from Kyuranger, I wasn't a big fan of him, either.)

Anywhoo, while you're busy typing a review (*winks*), I'm gonna work on updating the wiki with info on Tanner. (Check it out if you haven't already. Just Google "Spy-Busters Redux Wiki" and you'll probably find it. If not, PM me and I'll help you find it.) I'm also gonna add Tanner to the Ranger Popularity Poll on my profile, which you should _definitely_ go vote on if you haven't. Right now Colin and Colleen are both tied for first with two votes each, and Graham, Nate, and Shawn all only have one vote, so...yeah, let's get the ball rolling on that lol. I'm gonna go now, so I'll see you next time. Here's the preview for the next episode!

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** _After a series of back-to-back Metaloid attacks, Tanner convinces Graham and the others to take a day off of Ranger Duty in order to attend a local fair._ _Everything goes great, until a carnival-themed Metaloid shows up, threatening to ruin the entire event! Can Graham and Tanner team up in order to save the fair? Find out, in_ **Episode 17: A Day Off!**


	17. Ep 17: A Day Off

**A/N:**...Holy crap, I'm _finally_ done! This took _forrrrrever,_ lol. Sorry for the delay, real life kinda got in the way. I'll explain more in the second author's note, but for now, enjoy the new episode! Please read and review!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a** _ **fanmade**_ **,** _ **non-profit**_ **adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I** _ **do**_ **, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

 _...I'm not sure about this._

Graham closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he and Tanner made their way towards the city square, where several tents, booths, and rides had been set up. Opening his eyes, he looked at his younger brother, who had a large smile on his face.

Pumping his fist in excitement, the boy spoke, saying, "Alllright, we're here! This is gonna be awesome! It's the first day of the Festival, this is gonna be _great!_ "

Tanner was, of course, referring to an event known as the "Starview Heights Festival-a three day fair of sorts that the city put together every year around the beginning of spring to celebrate the anniversary of its founding. The Festival was quite a momentous occasion, and as such, it always managed to bring most of the city's population together, regardless of their differences or any hardships they may be facing.

Turning to look at his brother, Tanner spoke again, saying, "Isn't this exciting?"

"Yeah, definitely." Graham replied somewhat blankly, his tone of voice indicating that he was deep in thought.

Somehow, Tanner didn't pick up on this, and he simply turned around and continued to make his way towards the square. Light from the sun shined through his blonde hair, while a look of pure excitement flashed in his hazel eyes.

Lagging behind a bit, Graham slid his hands into his pockets and began to think to himself.

 _I just don't know about this. I mean, yeah it'll be fun, but...the Vaglass are getting stronger._ Graham's facial expression visually darkened as he thought about this, and his eyes quickly became clouded with a look of worry. _I mean, for the past week or so, we've fought what, like, a Metaloid a day? It's pretty obvious what's happening. Enter's realized this is a war of attrition. He's gonna keep throwing everything he has at us, and eventually, one side is gonna lose. Either he runs out of resources, or we run out of energy and morale...we SHOULD be training, trying to get ready for the battles that I KNOW are coming...but Tanner's really been looking forward to the Festival, and...I didn't have the heart to tell him no when he asked me to go._

Stopping in his tracks, the Red Ranger subconsciously reached for one of the strings of his new red hoodie and began fidgeting with it, something he did whenever he was nervous, anxious, or unsure of himself.

 _And the others...they're pretty excited, too. We're meeting them here, and I want them to have fun...I wanna have fun here, too. I don't want to be one of those "all work, no play" leaders that sucks the life out of his team...but at the same time, I want us to be ready for whatever comes our way. I care about my team too much to let them down...I'm just not sure what to do. Sometimes I wish I wasn't a Red Ranger, life would be so much simpler if I was just Blue or Gold or Silver or something…_

"Hey, Graham!" Tanner hollered, shaking the Red Ranger from his thoughts. "Why'd you stop? Aren't you coming?"

"Y-Yeah, sorry!" Graham called after him, letting go of his hoodie string before rushing to meet his brother. "C'mon, let's go meet up with the others."

* * *

Meanwhile, Enter watched the fair from his warehouse hideout; his eyes were transfixed on the video screen in front of him as he witnessed the festivities taking place.

"Stupid humans..." The Avatar growled, his voice full of hatred. "I should be out celebrating my master's victory by now, but instead, you dumb apes are celebrating yet another year of your puny city's existence...and all thanks to the Spy-Busters. If I don't do something about them soon...Monsieur Psycho may begin to grow impatient."

Clenching his fist so tightly that his knuckles began to turn white, Enter stood up from his chair and reached for a nearby briefcase, which he opened up in order to retrieve one of his upgraded Metavirus cards. Walking over to the door, the Avatar spoke once more, his voice now calm and eerily quiet.

"It's been fun, Rangers...but this is a fight to the death, and I shall be the victor. From this moment onward...playtime is _over._ "

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Ghosts in the Water" by Arrows to Athens***

 **(*The music of the song begins to play, as the camera rapidly pans over Starview Heights. Then, out of nowhere, it comes to a sudden halt at a rooftop, where Graham can be seen observing a battle down below. The vocals of the song begin, as Graham continues to watch, his face full of uncertainty and despair.*)**

 **~At the edge of the Earth, now**

 **I've never seen this place before.~**

 **(*We flash to a downtown city street that has been ravaged by a Vaglass attack; Graham and the other Rangers are slowing making their way through it, observing the damage that has been done with sorrowful looks in their eyes. Kneeling down and picking up a charred teddy bear seemingly abandoned by a child in a hurry, Tanner lets out a sad sigh.*)**

 **~The ghosts in the water,**

 **Waiting for dark before pulling us under.~**

 **(*Meanwhile, Nate and Shawn are in the middle of fighting a battalion of Buglars, when they suddenly lose the advantage, resulting in them becoming surrounded. As Graham and the others look on in pure horror, the Gold and Silver Rangers are pulled into a literal ocean of the footsoldiers, screaming in agony as they are seemingly ripped apart. Suddenly, Graham shoots up out of bed, revealing it to have only been a nightmare.*)**

 **~Below is a wasteland,**

 **With stories of empires underground.~**

 **(*Inside Hyperspace, Colleen finds the ruins of the GPU's old Headquarters, which was destroyed on the day Psycho went rampant. Spotting a piece of plastic on the ground, she picks it up, discovering it to be the weathered remains of Professor Miles' ID badge. Out of nowhere, a decayed and rotting corpse lunges at her from the ground, only for her to wake up from what turns out to have also been a nightmare.*)**

 **~Did we crawl to salvation,**

 **Make it this far just to bank our way back down?~**

 **(*Back in the real world, the Rangers are in an intense unmorphed-fight with a Metaloid, and the odds are heavily stacked against them. Struggling back to their feet, the six brandish their morphers and activate them, transforming into their Ranger forms before charging back into battle.*)**

 **~Cuz this a fight to break the silence,**

 **These are the lies we make to try to hold ourselves up, now!~**

 **(*Graham continues to lead his team as they take on a newly summoned batch of Buglars, who have assembled to guard the Metaloid they are fighting. Seeing brief glimpses of his mother in the back of mind, Graham brushes them off, not letting them distract him as he keeps on fighting.*)**

 **~The pull of the tide is always quiet,**

 **But this is a fight to take one more breath before we drown!~**

 **(*Using a combined finisher, the Rangers take out the Metaloid, which Enter subsequently revives, enabling said Metaloid to pilot the giant robot that is then sent from Hyperspace. Summoning their Zords, they form the Artillery Rush in order to fight it. Seeing this, Enter simply scoffs, turning away as the scene fades from view and the logo of the show appears; the song ends moments later as the opening comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Opening Theme: "Ghosts in the Water" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 17: A Day Off**

"Alright, here we are!" Tanner chirped, as he and Graham reached the front of the square, where a ticket booth was set up. Looking to his brother, he continued by saying, "Where is everybody? Shouldn't they be here by now?"

"I don't know, maybe their bus got delayed. It _is_ the first day of the Festival, after all. Traffic's bound to get a little clogged up." Graham pointed out.

"That's true." Tanner agreed, nodding his head. "Maybe you should call one of them to make sure. You hang out with that Colleen girl a lot, I'm sure you have her num-oh wait, there they are."

Hearing this, Graham followed Tanner's gaze. Immediately, he spotted Colin, Colleen, Nate, and Shawn, who hopped off of a city bus and began making their way towards the square.

"Hey, guys! Tanner shouted, cupping his hands to his mouth in order to amplify his voice. "Over here!"

"Hey man, what's up?" Colin said with a laugh, walking towards Tanner and offering the younger boy a high five.

"Nothing much, we were just waiting for you guys to show up so we can buy our tickets." Tanner replied, returning the high five.

"Well, what're we waiting for, then?" Shawn questioned. "Let's go get in line!"

* * *

And so, the six teens got in line and waited until they got to the front, where they all paid for their tickets. After that, they were allowed access to the rest of the square, which was essentially serving as a makeshift fairground.

Looking around in awe at the various rides and attractions that had been set up, Tanner spoke up, his voice full of child-like enthusiasm.

"Wow, this place looks _so_ awesome! What should we do first? Ooh, I know!" Tanner exclaimed. Gesturing to a nearby booth where some sort of ring toss game had been set up, he continued, saying, "That looks like fun! Oh, and they even have an Iphone X as one of the prizes!"

"Uh, I hate to break it to you, Tanner, but...most of the games at carnivals and fairs are pretty rigged." Graham pointed out. "That guy running it will milk you of every last dime you have before you even have a _shot_ at winning a prize."

"Really? Well, that's a shame..." Colleen lamented. Gesturing over towards the back of the booth where several prizes were hanging up, she said, "That giant stuffed rabbit is actually kinda cute, I wouldn't mind having one."

"...On second thought, lemme take a crack at it," Graham said a little too quickly, cracking his knuckles before reaching into his back pocket in order to procure his wallet. Walking up to the booth, he handed the man running it some money, paying for a round of ring toss.

Seeing this, Nate turned to Shawn and elbowed him lightly in the side in order to get his attention. He then proceeded to whisper in his brother's ear, saying, " _Am I the only one that's noticed-"_

" _-Noticed the fact that Graham and Colleen TOTALLY have a thing for eachother? Heck no."_ Shawn whispered back. " _It's so obvious that Allison and I have a bet going on to see how soon they'll get together. I bet her twenty bucks that they'll get together around Prom, and she raised me thirty bucks and said they'll wait until Graduation. I've got fifty dollars riding on this!"_

" _..._ _Y'know, I should be appalled that you two are making a game out of our friends' personal lives, but in all honesty, it sounds kinda fun!"_ Nate replied. Reaching into his back pocket, he grabbed his wallet. After making sure no one was watching, he pulled out a fifty dollar bill and slipped it to his brother, saying, " _Deal me in."_

" _You got it,"_ Shawn told him, slipping the currency into his own wallet with a nod. " _I'll be sure to get it to Alliso_ _n before school on Monday."_

* * *

And so, after a dozen or so failed attempts, Graham (reluctantly) gave up on trying to win the stuffed rabbit for Colleen, and he and the others decided to move on and explore the rest of the festival.

Looking around at all the different rides, booths, attractions, Shawn turned to the others and said, "Man, there's so much stuff to do! I wonder what we should do first!"

"Let's hit one of the food stands." Colin suggested. "I could _really_ go for a corn dog and some fair fries right now."

"We should probably save the food for later. I mean, we're about to go ride a bunch of rides, so it's probably not the best idea to fill up on junk food right before."

"Yeah, you have a point there," Colin said with a shrug. "Speaking of which, what ride are we gonna ride first?"

"Dude, Dragon Drop for sure!" Shawn hollered. "The guys at school have been hyping that one up all week, we _gotta_ ride it!"

"Nah dude, we gotta check out Medusa Hunt, first!" Tanner objected. "I cannot _begin_ to tell you how long I've wanted to ride that one!"

"Dude, Dragon Drop sends you spiraling into the sky before throwing you _off the track_ and onto another one! We're going!"

" _After_ we ride Medusa Hunt."

"Fight me," Shawn said with a chuckle.

"Challenge accepted," Tanner joked, lightly slugging the Silver Ranger on the forearm before running towards the area where Medusa Hunt was located.

"Haha, you're gonna regret that, little dude!" Shawn called out. He then proceeded to run after him, laughing the entire time. Letting out a chuckle, Colin rushed to join the two.

Seeing how fast the three were going, Nate cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Hey guys, wait up!"

His plea fell on deaf ears, which ultimately prompted the Gold Ranger to shrug his shoulders before dashing after them, leaving Graham and Colleen alone.

"So...they're all gone." Graham said somewhat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yep." Colleen replied. Turning to Graham, she said, "So, which ride do _you_ wanna go on?"

"Who, me? I uh...I'm not a big ride guy. I get kind of motion sick, sometimes..." Graham replied. "What about you? Any ride in particular you're interested in?"

"Uh, sort of. There are a few rides Holly was telling me about that I wouldn't mind going on with you." Colleen told him. "But if you don't wanna go on any, I understand."

Sensing the disappointment in the girl's voice, Graham panicked slightly. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he said, "I d-don't mind going on a few rides if that's what you want. I mean, I haven't been on one in a while, so who knows? I'll probably be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely,"

"Okie dokie!" Colleen chirped, grabbing the boy by the arm and dragging him off towards one of several rides set up in the square. "C'mon, keep up!"

"L-Lead the way," Graham said meekly, silently hoping that his motion sickness would not strike again.

* * *

"That...was...AWESOME!" Shawn boomed as he and the others walked away from Medusa Hunt, the four of them linking back up with Graham and Colleen after they got off of their own ride. "Seriously, that was amazing!"

"See?" Tanner replied. "Aren't you glad we decided to save Dragon Drop for last?"

"I suppose so," Shawn said, reluctantly conceding defeat. Covering his mouth with his elbow and letting out a small cough, he looked to the others and said, "Is anyone else thirsty? I could really go for a glass of lemonade right now."

"I'm a little parched, yeah." Tanner said. Hearing his stomach growl, he rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment before adding, "Actually, I'm kinda hungry, too. What say we all take a break and grab a bite?"

"Sounds good," Colleen said with a nod. Turning to Graham, she said, "After we're done eating, do you wanna go on the ferris wheel with me…?"

"Yeah, that'd be fun." Graham said with a small smile, blushing a bit at the thought of riding the ferris wheel with his yellow counterpart. Looking to the others, he said, "Let's go eat."

With that, the six exited the rides section of the festival and made their way towards the food booths, where an aroma of delicious (albeit slightly unhealthy) fair food wafted through the air. Hopping in line in front of one of the stands, the group of teens waited patiently for a couple minutes until they were at the front of the line. Ordering their food, they waited for another minute or two until the people running the stand finished their order. After paying for their meal, the six proceeded to walk away from the stand in order to search for a place to sit. This search lasted several minutes, during which the teens had no real luck finding an empty table. They were just about to give up and eat standing up, when they heard a person holler at them from across the square.

"Hey, over here!"

Turning his head, Nate instantly recognized the person as Iris, his friend, classmate and crush. Gesturing for the others to follow him, he made his way over to the table where Iris was sitting, holding up his hand and waving to the girl as he approached her.

"Hey, Iris!" The boy greeted. "I was hoping I'd run into you here! Say, um, do you mind if my friends and I sit here? It's pretty crowded here, and we can't find a place to sit down with our food."

"By all means, go ahead." Iris said with a smile.

Hearing this, Nate grinned, taking a seat directly next to the brunette and waiting for the others to sit down before gesturing towards them and saying, "Iris, these are my friends Graham, Colin, Colleen, and Tanner, and my brother, Shawn. Guys, this is my friend Iris. We have typing class together at school."

"Hey guys!" The petite girl greeted with a radiant smile, offering a wave to the others. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Graham said with a smile.

"Sup?" Colin said casually.

"It's a pleasure," Colleen told her.

"Hiya," Tanner chimed in.

"...Nate talks about you all the time!" Shawn blurted out, causing his brother to blush bright red.

"He d-does?" Iris questioned, feeling her own face heat up a little.

"Well, y-yeah..." Nate said shyly, suddenly finding himself unable to look the girl in the eye. "I mean, I have a ton of fun whenever we hang out, and sometimes I just mention you without thinking about it. Hopefully that doesn't sound too stupid..."

"That doesn't sound stupid at all." Iris said honestly, prompting Nate to snap out of his nervous stupor and look her in the eye once more. Giving the boy a reassuring smile, she added, "Actually, I think it's kinda sweet."

Curling his lips into a smile of his own, Nate replied with, "Cool."

For the next few moments, the two teens shared a long, silent look, with both seeming to lose themselves in eachother's eyes. It was clear that the two were sharing a moment, but said moment was cut short when a man in his late twenties to early thirties ran through the table area, a look of sheer panic in his eyes.

"The Vaglass are attacking!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, effectively gaining the attention of everyone in the near vicinity. "Everybody run!"

Hearing this, people immediately stood up from their seats and turned their attention to the direction the man had come from. Mechanical whirring sounds filled the air, as a large army of Buglars stomped into the area. Leading the charge was a tall green, silver, and dull pink Metaloid, which seemed to have been created from a cotton candy machine. In each hand, he held a long, thin metal rod; both of which were very similar in appearance to the sticks one would use to make cotton candy.

Trembling in fear at the sight of this, several of the civilians hastily turned tail and ran away; others fell backwards onto the ground and scrambled back up to their feet in order to escape. However, Graham and the others simply stood their ground, along with Iris, who glanced at Nate with a look of fear in her eyes.

Turning to face the girl, Nate put his hands on her shoulders and told her, "Iris, run!"

"What? What're you talking about?" The girl said in confusion. "Aren't you coming?!"

"Don't worry about me, just run!" Nate repeated in a stern voice, prompting the girl to reluctantly turn around and start running. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he added, "I'll be fine, just get to safety!"

Once they were sure that Iris and any other civilians had vacated the area, Graham and the others turned their attention to the threat at hand.

Brandishing his Morphin' Brace, Graham looked to the others and dipped his head, prompting them to follow his lead. Together, Graham, Colin, and Colleen pulled out their Buddy Visors and attached them to their Morphin' Braces, while Nate and Shawn attached their Beetle Boosters to their Morphin' Blasters. Meanwhile, Tanner simply slid down the left sleeve of his jacket to reveal his Morphin' Brace V2, and together, the six stood proudly.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Graham declared.

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

Instantly morphing into their Ranger Suits, the six charged into battle; Graham, Colin, and Colleen used their Buddy Visors to activate their Buddy Armor Mode, while Nate and Shawn used their Beetle Boosters to activate their Boost Mode. Tanner, on the other hand, simply pressed a button on his Transpod in order to materialize his Spy-Saber V2, which he grabbed out of the air before rushing to meet the Buglars head on.

Using his amplified superspeed to teleport around the battlefield, Graham slashed the Buglars with his Spy-Saber, damaging a large majority of them before they even became aware of what was happening. Skidding to a halt, the Red Ranger traded his Spy-Saber for his Spy-Blaster before proceeding to open fire on all of the Buglars that he had damaged, which caused them to instantly explode.

"Take that! And _that_! And some of _this_!" Colin hollered, as he used his amplified superstrength to repeatedly punch and kick a Buglar he was facing, severely damaging it in the process. Grabbing it by the arm and using the leverage to lift the robot up over his shoulders, Colin spun it around before tossing it into an incoming trio of Buglars, crushing them and destroying all four footsoldiers in the process.

Using her amplified superagility to leap high into the air, Colleen gently glided downward, landing on top of one of the food stands. Whipping out her Spy-Blaster, she aimed it at the Buglars below before opening fire, sending a volley of energy-blasts to cut right through their armor. Holstering the weapon, she cartwheeled off of the stand and glided back down, sticking out her right leg in order to perform a flying kick that finished the group of robots off on impact.

Levitating off the ground using his increased telekinesis, Nate fired a series of blasts at the Buglars using his Morphin' Blaster. Landing back on the ground a few seconds later in order to prevent his weakpoint from knocking him unconscious, he exchanged his morpher for his Drive Blade and calmly walked forward, using his telekinesis to send the approaching Buglars' weapons flying out of their hands before slashing them across the chest.

Dodging all of the Buglars' attacks thanks to his hyper-detection, Shawn waited for one of the robots to attack before blocking it with his arm; using his amplified ability, he detected the robot's weak spot was somewhat in its abdomen. Grabbing the foot soldier with both arms, the Silver Ranger tossed it into the air before aiming his Morphin' Blaster at its core. Firing a large blast at it, Shawn ducked down and covered his head with his arms, as the Buglar exploded, sending debris flying in all directions that pierced the armor of the other Buglars attacking him. Once they were all dead, Shawn hopped back up to his feet, as more Buglars rushed to attack him.

Meanwhile, Tanner utilized his superspeed to dodge the remaining Buglars as they swung their weapons at him. Skidding to a halt and looking over his shoulder, Tanner childishly decided to taunt them, saying, "You're too slow!"

This angered the Buglars, who surrounded him before swinging their weapons at him. Ducking to avoid the incoming swings, Tanner took the opportunity to jab them all in the chest with his Spy-Saber V2, destroying them.

"Piece of cake," He said somewhat arrogantly, smirking underneath his helmet.

"We're not done yet, rookie!" Nate reminded him, gesturing over to the Metaloid as he made his way over to them.

"Why hello there, Rangers! My name's Carnivalloid, and I'd like to welcome you to my festival of fun!" He boomed in an unusually cheerful voice. "You made pretty quick work of my Buglars...but you won't get rid of me that easily."

"Carnivalloid?" Shawn questioned, tilting his head in confusion. "But...you look like a cotton candy machine. Shouldn't your name be 'Candyloid', or 'Sugarloid', or something?"

"Petty human-your smart aleck comments mean nothing to me!" Carnivalloid yelled. "Now, behold my true power!"

With that, Carnivalloid thrust both of his arms outward, shooting some kind of cotton candy-esque string in all directions.

"Look out!" Shawn warned the others, easily dodging the attack using his hyper-detection. "Don't let that stuff hit you!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Nate replied, as Carnivalloid shot another strand of string at him.

Raising his Drive Blade, he slashed at the string as it neared him, intending to cut through it. However, the string simply stuck to the sword, which gave Carnivalloid enough leverage to flip the Gold Ranger onto his back and instantly demorph him.

"Oww," He grunted, as he started to get back up. Sitting up, he was about to hop to his feet when he was hit by another strand, which knocked him back onto the ground and wrapped him up like a spider web. Attempting to wiggle out to no avail, Nate said, "Shit, I'm stuck!"

"Don't worry, Nate, I'll break ya out!" Shawn told him, turning to run over to his brother and subsequently letting his guard down. Taking advantage of this, Carnivalloid shot out another strand in his direction, which he only just managed to dodge thanks to his power. Scoffing a bit, the Silver Ranger made note of this, saying, "Ha! You missed me!"

"I wasn't _aiming_ at you," Carnivalloid told him, tugging on the string in order to knock over a table that was directly behind Shawn. Said table fell directly on top of the teen, who was instantly demorphed as both he and the table were caught up in the string.

"Well...crap." Shawn muttered, reluctantly accepting his defeat.

"Alright. I've had it, tin can!" Colin hollered, dashing towards Carnivalloid while reeling back his fist. "Take this!"

"You're not very bright, are you?" Carnivalloid said with a laugh, shooting a strand at his attacker.

Seeing this coming, Colin leapt into the air and did a front-flip, narrowly avoiding the strand of string. Landing on the other side of the Metaloid, he spun around and threw a punch at him.

Carnivalloid, having predicted this, grabbed the Blue Ranger by the arm before aiming one of his metal rods in the air and creating around strand of string, which he proceeded to use to wrap the teen up before kicking him away and forcedly demorphing him.

"Looks like I answered my own question," Carnivalloid sneered.

"Why, you..." Colleen growled, angered by the sight of her twin being tossed around. Gripping her Spy-Blaster tightly, she aimed it at the Metaloid and prepared to fire, but before she could, Tanner ran out in front of her, prompting her to stop.

"Don't worry, guys! I've got this!" The Green Ranger said enthusiastically, his Spy-Saber V2 in hand. Holding the weapon out in front of him as he charged towards Carnivalloid, he added, "You're mine!"

"Tanner, wait!" Graham called after his brother, to no avail. "Keep your distance, he's too dangerous up close!"

"You're not the sharpest tool in the shed either, are you?" Carnivalloid taunted, using his string to grab ahold of Tanner's weapon and pluck it out of his hand. Yanking the string so that the sword flew through the air and into his hand, the Metaloid further tainted the young teen, saying, "Thanks for the weapon, brat!"

Pressing a button on the Spy-Saber V2, Carnivalloid spun it around so that the blade faced downward before thrusting it into the ground, creating a shock wave of energy that electrified the concrete in front of him.

Watching the energy as it surged through the ground, Graham and Tanner both supersped away as fast as they could, narrowly avoid being shocked. However, Colin, Nate, and Shawn were not as lucky, nor was Colleen, who leapt up into the air using her superagility only for Carnivalloid to snatch her up using his string and slam her back onto the ground, shocking her and forcing her to demorph.

"Colleen!" Graham called out in concern.

"Well, this was fun!" Carnivalloid said before cackling. Tossing the weapon back to Tanner, he continued by saying, "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to wrap this up, though!"

With that, the Metaloid grabbed onto Colleen and the other incapacitated Rangers using his string. He then proceeded to warp away, leaving Graham and Tanner behind.

Demorphing, Tanner clenched his fist and groaned in frustration before saying, "Dangit, he got away! I can't believe that, I almost had him. Isn't that annoying, Graham?"

Turning around, he was just in time to witness Graham demorph as well. Looking into his brother's eyes, Tanner saw that they were practically _glowing_ in anger.

Taking a deep breath, the Red Ranger turned and stomped away in the opposite direction, prompting his green counterpart to follow after him.

Seeing this, Tanner cupped his hands to his mouth and called after him, saying, "Hey, wait up!"

* * *

"Hey, Graham, where're you going?" Tanner asked as he followed his brother through the fairgrounds, which were now empty and devoid of any life. "C'mon, what's the matter?"

"What's the matter…? What's the _matter?_ " Graham replied, his voice full of disbelief. Whipping around to face his younger brother, he continued with, "What do you mean, 'What's the matter'?! Our friends just got captured, Tanner!"

"Yeah, I know. We should go rescue them then, shouldn't we?"

"It's not that simple! You just...you don't get it, do you?"

Turning back around, the Red Ranger stomped over to a nearby bench and sat down, staring off into the distance as his younger brother looked on in concern.

"What don't I get…?" Tanner replied, sitting down next to his brother. "I'm confused..."

"You just...you don't seem like you're taking this seriously, y'know?" Graham said rather bluntly, taking a deep breath. "Look, I understand you're a kid, and you wanna have fun-but the Vaglass are getting stronger every day, and it's getting harder and harder to beat them. If we wanna have any chance of beating them, we need to train-a lot. Which means activities like this...we might have to start skipping out on them."

Taking a deep breath, Tanner looked at his brother and replied with, "Y'know, brother, I think it's _you_ that doesn't understand."

This earned him a look of absolute confusion from Graham. Undeterred by this, the Green Ranger continued with, "Look, Graham, I get what you're saying. This is a war, and we need to be prepared for it. We probably _should_ be training a lot more. But the thing is...life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around every once in awhile, you could miss it."

Stifling a laugh as his mouth formed into a small smile, Graham replied with, "You stole that line from Ferris Bueller."

"Doesn't make it any less true," Tanner pointed out. "Listen, I know we have a responsibility. As Rangers, it's our duty to protect the city-but in order to do that effectively, we need to keep our morale up. The truth is, we need these fun days more than ever-because it's day like this that remind us what we're fighting for."

Upon hearing this, Graham's eyes widened in realization. Looking to his brother, he said, "You...you're right. Look, I'm sorry for getting mad. What happened back there, it-"

"-it was my fault, you don't need to sugarcoat it." Tanner interrupted, eliciting a chuckle from his older brother. "I'm willing to own up to that, though. That's why I'm gonna help get them back."

"How so?"

"I don't know," Tanner admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. But first, we need to find them..."

"We've already taken care of that," Captain Shields informed the two via the comm-link. "I'm sending their coordinates to you, now."

* * *

 _Meanwhile, on the other side of the fairgrounds…_

"So..." Shawn began awkwardly, as he, Colin, Colleen, and Nate sat on the ground in front of a large roller coaster, having been restrained via Carnivalloid's string. "I'm bored."

"Shawn? We're being held hostage." Nate pointed out, a hint of irritation in his voice. "It's not supposed to be a box of fluffy ducks."

"Box of fluffy ducks…?" Colin asked, stifling a laugh. "Who even says that?"

"People."

"Yeah. _Old_ people."

"Be quiet!" Carnivalloid screeched, growing annoyed by their banter. "Power Rangers are to be seen and not heard!"

"Says _you_ ," Colleen retorted. "You're not gonna get away with this, y'know. Graham and Tanner are gonna come rescue us."

"Counting on it, Buster Yellow." Carnivalloid said smugly, letting out a bit of a laugh. "As soon as they show up, I'll capture them too, and then I'll deliver you all to Enter personally! Surely I'll be rewarded for my hard work then!"

"Sorry, tin can, but that's not happening!" A voice hollered from up above.

Turning around, Carnivalloid spotted Graham, who was standing on top of a neighboring roller coaster alongside Tanner.

Pointing to the Metaloid, Tanner chimed in, saying, "Yeah! You'll have to find another way of earning brownie points, pal!"

"Brownie points…?" Colin questioned, letting out a bit of a chuckle.

"I'm a rookie, remember? I'm still working on my action hero one-liners." Tanner replied. Turning to Graham, he added, "You ready to go, big bro?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." Graham told him, brandishing his Morphin' Brace and attaching his Buddy Visor to it before adding, "Wanna say it?"

"Really?" Tanner asked, to which his red counterpart nodded. "Awesome, of course I'll say it!"

Rolling down his jacket sleeve to reveal his Morphin' Brace V2, Tanner continued with, "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Graham and Tanner Morphing Sequence~**

Activating his Buddy Armor Mode as Carnivalloid summoned a large wave of Buglars, Graham turned to Tanner and said, "Alright Tanner, let's go!"

"Lead the way!" Tanner told him. "I'm right behind ya!"

With that, the two brothers leapt off of the roller coaster, tucking and rolling in order to break their fall before entering into battle with the robotic footsoldiers.

Materializing his Spy-Saber, Graham gripped it tightly. Dodging a series of energy-blasts being fired at him by his foes, he used his amplified superspeed to rapidly teleport around the battlefield, slicing the necks of the robots one by one.

The rest of the Buglars turned their attention towards Tanner, swarming the young teen before attempting to slash at him with their weapons. Anticipating this, Tanner blocked the strikes with his Spy-Blaster V2, which he then used to shoot his attackers point-blank in the chest in order to destroy them. Within the next few minutes, the two had disposed of the Buglars.

"Well done." Carnivalloid said. "I must admit, you two are quite impressive at fighting...but not impressive enough."

With that, he aimed his cotton candy sticks at the two and fired, sending two energy strands hurtling in their direction. Using their superspeed, the two brothers easily dodged them before proceeding to free their friends; Graham freed Colin and Colleen, while Tanner cut Nate and Shawn loose.

"Alright, we're finally free!" Shawn chirped, stretching his arms and hearing his bones snap softly. "Good thing, too. I was starting to get pretty cramped."

"Same here," Colin said, cracking his knuckles. "Now, what say we get some payback?"

"Agreed," Nate replied. With his telekinesis, he grabbed ahold of their morphers, which had been confiscated and subsequently discarded by Carnivalloid shortly after he had taken them hostage. Using his power to draw them all to him, he caught his Morphin' Blaster, before tossing the three other morphers to their respective owners. "Let's Ranger up!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!" The four unmorphed Rangers cried, activating their morphers and instantly morphing into their Ranger Suits.

Using their Transpods to summon their Buddy Visors and Beetle Boosters, the four activated their upgrade forms before linking up with Graham and Tanner, having now fully prepared for the fight at hand. Gripping his Spy-Saber tightly, Graham proceeded to rally his team together by beginning their roll call.

"Alright everyone, let's give this guy what's coming to him! Savannah Hunter!" Graham began, stretching his left arm across his chest with his left hand balled into a fist, his right fist resting against his left forearm. "Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior!" Colin hollered, bumping his right fist against his right shoulder before thrusting it outward. "Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper!" Colleen called out, gripping her shoulder-straps with both hands before letting them go , stretching them as if they were elastic. "Buster Yellow!"

"Rhinoceros Power!" Nate said calmly, extending his left pointer and pinky fingers and folding over his other two fingers with his left thumb before moving his left hand in front of his face. "Buster Gold!"

"Stag Power!" Shawn said excitedly, spinning 360 degrees before giving a two-fingered salute. "Buster Silver!"

"Wetland Swimmer!" Tanner declared, crossing his arms in a motion similar to that of an ocean wave before clenching his fists and taking a fighting stance. "Buster Green!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!" The six shouted in unison, as multicolored fireworks went off behind them.

"Objective: Take down Carnivalloid, before he can take us out!" Graham ordered. "Ready…?"

"GO!" The other five replied, and together they all rushed towards the Metaloid with their weapons drawn.

"Y'know, you brats are _really_ starting to piss me off!" Carnivalloid screeched, launching a barrage of energy strands towards the Rangers. "Enter wanted me to deliver you to him so he could dispose of you personally, but I think I'll just kill you myself!"

Using his superstrength to smash the pavement underneath him, Colin grabbed a large chunk of the resulting debris in order to use it as a makeshift shield. He proceeded to use said makeshift shield to block one of the energy strands; seeing this, Carnivalloid let out a sinister chuckle as he launched another strand at the shield. Once it connected, he tugged on it in an attempt to rip the object out of the Blue Ranger's hands. Oddly enough, the second he did this, Colin simply let go of his own volition.

"Are you kidding me? You let go of your own shield?!" Carnivalloid guffawed. "How stupid are you?"

"Not as stupid as you, evidently." Colin said matter-of-factly, as the large piece of debris hurtled towards Carnivalloid, who had effectively thrown it at himself using his string.

Only realizing his mistake once it was too late to dodge, Carnivalloid screamed as the slab of pavement hit him in the core, bowling him over and sending his cotton candy sticks flying out of his hands.

Seizing the opportunity, Nate used his telekinesis to scoop the sticks off of the ground and send them floating towards him. Grabbing them, the Gold Ranger amplified his power in order to levitate off of the ground, before using the sticks to shoot two energy strands at the Metaloid that anchored him to two nearby streetlights.

With the Metaloid seemingly restrained, Colleen and Shawn used their blaster weapons to shoot at him, while Tanner supersped towards the robot and leapt into the air, using the momentum in order to deliver a flying kick. However, before the kick could connect, Carnivalloid managed to brake free of his binds, which allowed him to uppercut the Green Ranger and send him crashing onto his back. Launching an energy-blast at Nate as he prepared to restrain him again, the robot reclaimed his cotton candy sticks, which he then used to grab ahold of Tanner.

"Crap, he's got me!" Tanner realized, beginning to panic somewhat. "Somebody help!"

"Y'know, a wise man once said you should never send a _boy_ to do a man's job." Carnivalloid said smugly, spinning around a few times in order to pick up momentum before letting go of the sticks, sending Tanner hurtling out towards the ocean, which was fairly close to the city square. "Have a nice flight, brat!"

"TANNER!" Graham screamed, fearing for his brother's life as he witnessed him plummet into the ocean.

"Do you think...do you think he's okay?" Colleen asked hesitantly, slowly making her way over to her red counterpart.

"There's _no_ way, Buster Yellow!" Carnivalloid cackled. "Sorry, but it looks like your friend Buster Green is swimming with the fishes!"

"How _dare_ you?!" Colleen roared, turning her attention towards the Metaloid. "That was Graham's _brother_ , he was just a kid! I'll...I'll kill-"

"Colleen, wait." Graham cut her off, holding his arm out in front of her in order to prevent her from moving forward. Gesturing out towards the water, he said, "You see that?"

Gazing at the ocean, Colleen paid close attention in order to figure out what Graham was talking about. After a few seconds, she saw it-there was a green streak of some sort tearing its way through the water, in a similar manner to a motorboat. However, it was faster than a motorboat- _way_ faster. Probably about as fast as-

"Tanner!" Colleen realized, gasping as the dots began to connect inside her head. "He can use his superspeed underwater!"

"What the hell?!" Carnivalloid squawked, as Tanner leapt out of the water in much the same way that a dolphin or whale would at an aquarium. "How it that even possible?!"

"I'm not sure, tin can! I think I'll chalk it up to the big man upstairs looking out for me!" Tanner replied as he soared through the air, pulling out his Spy-Blaster V2 and turning the dial on the barrel before aiming the weapon at the Metaloid. As he drifted closer and closer towards his foe, he shouted, "Spy-Blaster V2: Snapshot...STRIKE!"

Pulling the trigger, he sent a gigantic blast of energy hurtling towards Carnivalloid. Said blast cut through his armor, causing it to spark uncontrollably as the Metaloid screamed in pain.

Landing on the ground behind the robot, Tanner turned around and said, "Hasta la vista, baby!"

"NOOOO!" Carnivalloid shrieked, as he fell to his knees and exploded. Seeing this, Tanner pumped his fist, unable to contain his excitement.

"Alright, we did it!" He chirped. Running up to Graham, he said, "Did you see me just now? That was _incredible!"_

"It _was_ pretty cool. We're not done yet, though." Graham pointed out, gesturing towards a nearby roller-coaster where Enter had warped in and was now using his energy-tendrils to revive Carnivalloid. Looking down at his Morphin' Brace to see a countdown timer, the Red Ranger turned to the others and shouted, "Incoming Transfer!"

"Rangers, we're sending the Zords!" Captain Shields informed them via the comm-link, as Enter warped in out of nowhere and used his energy-tendrils to revive Carnivalloid.

"Roger that!" Graham replied, turning to Tanner before saying, "Wait here."

With that, he and the others waited for their Zords to arrive before leaping into the air in order to board them. Meanwhile, the newly revived Carnivalloid watched as a portal to Hyperspace opened up, gifting him with a giant robot to fight them with.

Once they had boarded their Zords, the five core Rangers gripped their controls and performed the steps that were necessary to form their Megazord.

"Artillery Rush Megazord Formation: Activate!"

 **~Megazord Formation Sequence~**

"Artillery Rush Megazord: Online!"

"Alright, let's take him down!" Graham declared, and he and the others willed the Megazord forward as Carnivalloid did the same with his giant robot. Watching as Carnivalloid fired a pair of giant energy strands out of his robot's hands, he and the others took evasive action, managing to narrowly dodge the attack. Aiming their Megazords' wrist-turrets at the giant robot, the five countered with a barrage of gunfire.

This angered Carnivalloid, who slammed his fist into the dashboard of his robot before shouting, "You brats think you're untouchable, huh? Well I'll show you!"

Firing another pair of energy strands at the Megazord, he waited for them to dodge before catching them off guard with a third strand, which he used to grab the Megazord by the arm. He then began to yank the controls in order to pull the Megazord closer.

"Oh crap! What do we do?" Shawn said, starting to panic slightly.

"Try firing some missiles!" Graham ordered. "We've got to break free!"

"It's worth a shot!" Colleen hollered, flipping a few switches above her head in order to fire a salvo of missiles.

"Nice try, Rangers, but you can't pull a fast one on me!" Carnivalloid boomed, disengaging one of the energy strands holding the Megazord in order to create a new one, which he used to deflect most of the missiles. One of the missiles managed to slip past, but he was able to grab onto it with the energy strand. Using said strand like a whip, he hit the Megazord with its own projectile, dealing a large amount of damage to it.

"We just took a shit load of damage!" Colin swore, as several klaxons began blaring inside the cockpit. Looking to his console, he added, "These dials are spinning like crazy right now, we need to withdraw!"

"We _can't_!" Nate told him, frustration evident in his voice. "His grip on us is too strong-he's basically got our balls in a vice!"

* * *

"They need more firepower...and fast!" Captain Shields said from the Command Room, a look of concern in his eyes as he watched the battle via the video screen. Pressing a button on his headset in order to radio the Zord bay, he spoke, saying, "Martin, I need you to prep the Hippo Zord for launch!"

* * *

"What? You mean now?" Lieutenant Woods replied via the comm-link, flipping up the welder's helmet he was wearing as he worked on the Zord in question. "But it's nowhere near ready! I've still gotta fine tune the engines, run diagnostics, and then I have to _test_ it to make sure it even works!"

"We don't have time for that, Martin. The Rangers are in trouble!" Captain Shields told him. "I want that Zord ready for launch as soon as possible!"

"Fine..." Lieutenant Woods relented, ducking underneath the Zord in order to disconnect all of the different tools he had hooked up to it. "Here's hoping it doesn't explode while Tanner pilots it..."

* * *

As he continued to pull the Megazord closer, Carnivalloid taunted the Rangers, saying, "It won't be too long now, brats! Once your precious Megazord is in range, it'll be game over! Any last words?"

Turning to look at Graham, Nate whispered to him, saying, " _Our weapon systems are done. We don't have enough power to fire the missile launchers or wrist-turrets, and by the time we charge up a Victory Blast it'll be too late."_

Upon hearing this, Graham took a long, deep breath, before addressing Carnivalloid by saying, "You might have bested us, Carnivalloid, but we will _never_ surrender to you. Even in the face of death, my friends and I are willing to sacrifice everything! So go ahead, give us your best shot! We're not afraid!"

"...That was a pretty good attempt, Buster Red, but I can practically _taste_ the fear in your voice." Carnivalloid replied. "I will oblige your request, though. I sincerely hope you'll rest in pieces!"

With that, Graham and the others averted their eyes, unable to look as Carnivalloid charged up what they thought would be the killing blow. However, before he could finish them off, Carnivalloid was interrupted by the arrival of a new Zord-a green, hippopotamus-themed submarine that tore through the water, firing a salvo of missiles that hit his robot in the side and caused it to fall over.

"What the-?!" Carnivalloid whined, thoroughly irritated by the arrival of the new giant vehicle.

Examining the vehicle from the fairgrounds, Tanner activated his comm-link and spoke into it, saying, "Is that...is that what I think it is?"

"It is," Lieutenant Woods told him, tapping into the comm-link. "Tanner, behold my latest creation-the Hippo Zord!"

"Allllright!" Tanner hollered, pumping his fist in excitement. "My own Zord! This is awesome!"

"Indeed it is, Buster Green." Professor Tennet chimed in. "If I were you, though, I'd cut the 'geeking out' short and board the Zord as quickly as possible, before your teammates are killed in action."

"Right," Tanner replied. Wasting no time, he supersped over to the edge of the square and crossed over into the beach, which he then traversed until he reached the ocean. Using his newfound ability to swim at lightning speed, he easily made his way out to the Hippo Zord in record time. Climbing aboard, he looked around the cockpit in total awe, amazed by the various screens, buttons, and control mechanisms.

Out of nowhere, a new, feminine voice addressed him from within the cockpit, saying, "Hey kid, are you gonna keep looking around, or are you gonna get this thing in gear?"

"What…? Who said that?" Tanner questioned, looking to the right and immediately spotting a green, frog-themed robot, which was about the size of an old-school alarm clock. "Was that you?"

"No kid, it was your conscience," The robot replied somewhat sarcastically. "Of course it was me. The name's Ribbit. I'm your Buddy-Roid."

"Wait, you mean you're like Cheetah Nick?" Tanner asked. "Shouldn't your animal motif match mine and my Zord's, then? I mean, you're _frog_ -themed."

"Congratulations on figuring that one out, Captain Obvious." Ribbit quipped. "If you must know, Captain Shields ran into a few snags while trying to design a hippo-themed Buddy-Roid, so he just dusted off the prototype for an old one. _Me_. Anyway, hippo or not, I'm your partner, so get used to it. Now, would you please assume the controls?"

" _Well, since you asked sooo nicely..."_ Tanner mumbled, grabbing ahold of the Zord's steering wheel and willing the vehicle forward. "So, what exactly do you want me to do?"

"I like you, kid. You've got spunk."Ribbit said, her face literally lighting up as she spoke, much like the other Buddy-Roids. "Anyway, you see that vent on the side of Carnivalloid's robot?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I'm not 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure it's important. If we hit it, it should weaken the robot considerably. Then Graham and the others can take it out no problem." Ribbit explained. "You focus on driving, I'll man the weapons."

"Roger that," Tanner replied, putting his foot on the gas pedal in order to speed up the Hippo Zord. "Taking us in."

As the Hippo Zord neared its target, Carnivalloid willed his robot back to its feet. Turning to face the submarine-esque vehicle, he launched an energy strand in its direction, seeking to toss it aside as if it were a bath toy.

Performing a quick evasive maneuver in order to prevent this, Tanner steer clear of the strand and piloted the Hippo Zord forward, only stopping once he had a clear view of the vent again. Turning to Ribbit, he addressed her, saying, "Alright, this is as close as we'll ever get! Open fire!"

"Launching missiles," The Buddy-Roid replied, tapping into the Hippo Zord's internal systems in order to send a salvo of missiles flying into the exposed vent. This caused the robot's armor to immediately spark, and several small fires began to break out all over the interior of the cockpit, frightening Carnivalloid.

"You...you're gonna pay for that!" The Metaloid shrieked. "As soon as I get my hands on you-"

"I'm afraid that's not gonna happen," Graham interrupted, looking to the others before adding, "Let's finish this, guys!"

"Right!" The other four replied in unison, and together, they began to charge their final attack. "Victory Blast: Charging!"

Waiting until the Victory Blast was fully charged, Nate used the Megazord's targeting computer to lock onto Carnivalloid's robot. He then turned to Graham and nodded, confirming that they were locked on.

Together, the five shouted at the top of their lungs, "Victory Blast: Away!" as they pulled the trigger so-to-speak, launching a giant golden ball of energy that hurtled towards the enemy robot, cutting through it like a hot knife through butter.

As the cockpit of the robot began to crumble around him, Carnivalloid shrieked, "This...this isn't possible! I am Vaglass! I AM SUPERIOR!"

Not anymore, you're not," Colin replied, folding his arms and watching as the robot exploded.

"NOOOO!" Carnivalloid screamed as he was sent flying out of the cockpit, plummeting to his death before dissolving into ones and zeroes of binary code.

Witnessing this from inside the Hippo Zord, Tanner pumped his fist and said, "Allllright! You did it! Nice work, guys!"

"We couldn't have done it without you, Tanner." Colleen pointed out.

"Who, me?" Tanner asked. "Nah!"

"She's right, Tanner." Graham told him. "If it wasn't for you, we'd be dead right now. You may not have a ton of experience, yet...but you're already one heck of a Ranger. I'm really proud of you, little bro."

"Thanks," Tanner replied. "So, what should we do tomorrow? Wanna get some training time in at HQ?"

"Hmm, let me think...nah." Graham said, much to his younger brother's shock. "You taught me a valuable lesson today, Tanner. Life...it _does_ move really fast. So we need should cherish every moment of freedom we get...that's why tomorrow, we're coming right back here to the Festival."

"You...you really mean it?"

"Of course."

"Alllright!" Tanner said excitedly. "So...can I say it?"

Rolling his eyes inside his helmet, Graham replied, "Go for it."

Unable to contain his excitement, Tanner stood up from his chair and exclaimed, "Mission: Complete!"

This elicited laughter from the rest of his teammates, and together, they exited their Zords and demorphed before heading back home, hoping to get some rest so they could return to the Festival the next day. Meanwhile…

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

"Majeste..." Enter said softly as he returned to his warehouse hideout, carrying a large container of stolen Enertron. "I have returned."

"Enter..." Psycho groaned, his warped face appearing through a hologram in the center of the room, as per usual. "The Rangers...have you disposed of them, Enter…?"

"N...No, Monsieur. I...I was unable to dispose of the vermin this time..." Enter admitted, a hint of fear in his tone. Lifting up the Enertron container he was holding, he added, "However, I was able to-"

"SILENCE!" Psycho boomed somewhat uncharacteristically, anger evident in his voice. "You have disappointed me time and time again, Enter! All I've asked of you is one simple task, yet you have failed to complete it on countless occasions!"

"Monsieur, I apologize. I'll do better, I prom-"

"I tire of your hollow promises, child!" Psycho interrupted. "You've proven to me that you are somewhat incompetent...however, you are still of some use to me. That is why I am not going to destroy you...instead, I thought I would provide you with some help. Enter...meet your new sister."

"Sibling…?" Enter asked, tilting his head in confusion. "Whatever do you mean?"

"What do you think he means, you dolt?" A female voice asked from the darkness of the warehouse, shocking Enter. Stepping out from the shadows, the owner of the voice-a tall, Asian female with shoulder-length brown hair and goggles-continued, saying, "Allow me to introduce myself, brother. I am Escape...and I'm your new partner."

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

 **(*As the music of the song begins, we see a sweeping shot of a map of the world. Zooming in on America, we see Georgia; zooming in even further, we see Starview Heights. Standing on top of the map, we can clearly see Graham and the other Rangers, who are standing still, stoic looks on their faces. Looking up, they collectively take a fighting stance, as an army of Buglars runs as them and the vocals of the song begin*)**

 **~What makes all of us hate? We're all the same,**

 **We roll the dice, and we play your game!~**

 **(*Transitioning to the city square, we see Enter standing on a rooftop. Waving his arm, he orders a battalion of Buglars to attack the Rangers, locking eyes with Graham, who is visibly angry. Clenching his fist as the Avatar warps away, Graham brandishes his morpher, transforming into Buster Red and prompting the others to follow suite.*)**

 **~We complicate, show us the way,**

 **Before it's too late, and the whole thing breaks~**

 **(*Together, the five leap into action. Colin uses his superstrength to smash his way through the robotic footsoldiers, while Shawn shoots them with his Morphin' Blaster, using his hyper-detection in order to prevent anyone from being flanked*)**

 **~We have a name, we all create,**

 **Everything else, the mistakes we make!~**

 **(*Meanwhile, Colleen uses her superagility to evade the Buglars, as she guns them down with her Spy-Blaster. The ones she misses try to get away, but they are cut down by Nate using his Drive Blade.*)**

 **~We'll make a change, we'll concentrate,**

 **Before we suffocate!~**

 **(*Using his superspeed, Graham skips right past the Buglars and heads straight for the Metaloid, delivering a swift punch to its jaw before kneeing it in the chest. He then attempts to roundhouse kick the robot, but it grabs his foot and tosses him aside, causing the Red Ranger to land on his back.*)**

 **~Can't hold this in, and keep it quiet any longer!**

 **I've fallen in, and now this feeling's getting stronger!~**

 **(*We transition to another scene, where an unmorphed Graham can be seen falling through an endless sky. Reaching his hand out, he tries to scream, but finds he is unable to speak.*)**

 **~You take my breath away!~**

 **(*Falling into the darkness, Graham tries to scream once more, to no avail. Suddenly, he shoots up out of bed, revealing this to have been a nightmare*)**

 **~Now I'm trying to get up, I'm trying to retrace,**

 **My steps back, to wherever I messed up!~**

 **(*Back at the battle, a still-morphed Graham struggles to his feet, summoning his Spy-Saber. Rushing towards the Metaloid, he attempts to slash at it, but it repeatedly evades his attacks, annoying the Red Ranger to no end.*)**

 **~Is forever enough?**

 **I'm holding on!~**

 **(*We transition back to the nightmare, this time starting from the beginning. Inside the void, Graham is hanging off of a cliff, and is about to fall. Standing at the top is Colleen, who reaches out to him, attempting to pull him up.*)**

 **~I know you'll be there,**

 **Whenever I wake up!~**

 **(*Graham succeeds in grabbing her hand, but he accidentally pulls her further down the cliff edge. Realizing she'll fall with him if he doesn't let go, Graham rips his hand away, falling down the cliff while screaming her name. Waking up from the nightmare once more, the Red Ranger takes a series of shallow breaths, calming himself down as the song comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

* * *

 **A/N:** Dun dun dun! So, yeah, Escape has made her debut...sort of. Technically speaking, her actual debut won't be for another few episodes, but I came up with the idea of having her briefly cameo towards the end of writing this episode, so I decided to go with it. We also got the debut of Tanner's Zord, and his Buddy-Roid, both of which we'll be seeing more of in future episodes. For now, Tanner's Zord will serve more of a support role to the main Megazord, but don't worry. Eventually we'll get some more Zords in the series that the Hippo Zord will subsequently be able to combine with to form its own Megazord. More on that when the time comes.

Once again, I'm sorry for the delay on this chapter. As I said, real life kinda got in the way in the form of job-hunting/driver's ed book studying, plus I was a little distracted. Been watching a lot of anime, lately (I just finished season two of My Hero Academia, and I've also been slowly gaining an addiction to Sailor Moon. Don't judge me lol), and on top of that I've had a _killer_ case of writer's block. Seriously, I got stuck like every other sentence while writing this episode. I'm not sure if it's burnout or laziness or what, I just know that it caused this to take even longer than usual. And then on top of that, I had this about halfway done when I realized I didn't quite like the direction it was going, so I ended up scrapping the whole thing and starting over, which definitely didn't help matters. To make a long story short, this. Took. FOREVER.

Anyway, that's enough rambling for now. I hope you enjoyed the episode-if you're feeling up to it, leave me a review with your thoughts, and I might even reply back! You never know. (*winks*) As for when the next one will be out...I have no idea lol, I'll get to it when I get to it. You can probably expect it sometime late next month given my recent track record, but we'll see. I might get it done quickly, I might get it done late, it depends on whether or not I can find a way to cure my laziness. If you have any ideas on how to do so, let me know. For now, this is me signing off. Here's a preview for next time.

 **(Update: I can't believe I forgot to mention this considering how excited I was about it, but I have a Twitter account, now. You might be wondering why that's exciting, and I'll tell you why-I'm going to be periodically tweeting on there about the progress of this story, as well as several other projects I have in the works. So, if you wanna be up to date on all things Spy-Busters and you happen to have a Twitter, be sure to follow me. My handle is _at symbol-Iam-underscore-RocketShark._ And if you _don't_ have a Twitter...well, make one and then follow me, lol. Maybe even shoot me a message if you're brave enough, I don't bite I swear *winks*)**

 **(Update II: Oh, also forgot to mention the new opening. Do you guys like it? I picked another A2A song because, well sue me, I'm obsessed with A2A's music and their songs really fit the tone of my series. I went with "Ghosts in the Water" bc it's somber and serious enough to fit the tone I'm going for in the second half of the series while still being high energy and upbeat enough to rock out to. Anyway, if you pay any attention to the openings and endings, fell free to share your thoughts. I have a lot of fun putting together the title sequences, it lets me pretend this is like a real season of PR lol)**

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** _An old friend of Lieutenant Woods' who was previously believed to be dead returns, much to his delight. However, said friend appears to be hiding something, and it doesn't take long for Alicia and the Rangers to suspect something is up. Is Martin's friend really who he says he i_ _s?_ _Find out, in_ **Episode 18: Catfish!**


	18. Ep 18: Catfish

**A/N:** Hey everybody, here's the new chapter! I'd apologize for the delay but at this point I probably sound like a broken record, so I'll just skip the formalities for once. I hope you enjoy it, please read and review!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a fanmade, non-profit adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I do, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

Lieutenant Woods let out a long, drawn out yawn as he sat alone in the Command Room at GPU Headquarters. It was very late at night, possibly even early morning, and he was hard at work; Captain Shields wanted to visit his daughter Sonia in LA, so he'd left Martin in charge of HQ while he was away.

Struggling to hold back another yawn as he typed away at his computer, he looked to the right side of the room, where the desk belonging to his wife Alicia sat, strangely unoccupied.

 _Man, I almost regret convincing her to go home and spend some time with Nate and Shawn…_ The thirty-three year old thought to himself, standing up from his desk and making his way out to the hall. _I mean, she definitely needs the time off, and it's a great opportunity for her to spend some quality time with the boys, but...I could really use someone to talk to right now…_

" _Oh well,_ " He mused aloud, shrugging his shoulders as he stopped in front of the alcove where the facility's coffee pot was. Reaching into an overhead cabinet in order to procure a container of coffee mix, he continued, saying, " _Guess I'll have to settle for you instead, eh, Folgers?"_

Lightly chuckling as he opened the container, Martin grabbed a measuring cup and used it to scoop up some of the mix, which he then proceeded to place into the pot, where he'd already deposited some water. Closing the lid and hitting the on switch, he waited for the pot of coffee to finish brewing before pouring himself a cup and adding a few things to it-namely, his favorite Hazelnut-flavored coffee creamer and a cup or two of sugar for good measure.

Once he was finished preparing his cup of coffee, he grabbed it and began walking back to the Command Room, sipping on the hot drink every now and then in order to keep himself awake.

"Ahh," He sighed in slight contentment as he set the mug down on his desk and sat back down in his chair. "That is _just_ what the doctor ordered."

Leaning back in his chair, the Lieutenant resumed his usual task of filing paperwork, as well as his temporary job of monitoring HQ and the city in general. Working himself into a bit of a lull, he nearly fell out of his chair when a klaxon began blaring over the intercom, effectively startling him and prompting him to stand up from his seat.

Hopping behind Captain Shields' desk, he used the password his commanding officer had given him in order to access the executive computer, allowing him to decipher the cause of the alarm. Written across the monitor in big red letters were the words, "Incoming Distress Call"; below that, a globe representing all of Earth could be seen, with a flashing red beacon sitting in the middle of the United States.

Using his mouse to click on the beacon, the Lieutenant zoomed in on the globe, allowing him to see exactly where the distress call was originating from-a small town in Wyoming. Typing in a series of commands using the keyboard, Martin tapped into the comm-link, which he then used to send a signal to the Rangers' morphers.

"Rangers, this is HQ! Come in, Rangers!" The Lieutenant shouted into his earpiece, as six icons representing each Ranger lit up, indicating they had received the signal and were listening to the comm-link. "We have an incoming distress call! I repeat, an incoming distress call! I need you six at HQ, ASAP! I hope you're ready for an out of state field trip, because you guys are heading to Wyoming!"

Waiting for a few seconds until he received verbal confirmation from the six teenagers, Lieutenant Woods clicked off of the comm-link and turned around in his chair, turning his attention to the Video Screen where a larger version of the globe and the distress beacon could be seen.

Stroking his chin, he thought aloud, saying, " _Wyoming, huh? Weird...I wonder what could possibly be going on, there..."_

Turning back around just in time to see a notification pop up informing him that the Rangers had teleported in, he finished musing to himself, saying, " _Doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that the Rangers deal with it without too much trouble...this is shaping up to be the longest night of my life."_

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Ghosts in the Water" by Arrows to Athens***

 **(*The music of the song begins to play, as the camera rapidly pans over Starview Heights. Then, out of nowhere, it comes to a sudden halt at a rooftop, where Graham can be seen observing a battle down below. The vocals of the song begin, as Graham continues to watch, his face full of uncertainty and despair.*)**

 **~At the edge of the Earth, now**

 **I've never seen this place before.~**

 **(*We flash to a downtown city street that has been ravaged by a Vaglass attack; Graham and the other Rangers are slowing making their way through it, observing the damage that has been done with sorrowful looks in their eyes. Kneeling down and picking up a charred teddy bear seemingly abandoned by a child in a hurry, Tanner lets out a sad sigh.*)**

 **~The ghosts in the water,**

 **Waiting for dark before pulling us under.~**

 **(*Meanwhile, Nate and Shawn are in the middle of fighting a battalion of Buglars, when they suddenly lose the advantage, resulting in them becoming surrounded. As Graham and the others look on in pure horror, the Gold and Silver Rangers are pulled into a literal ocean of the footsoldiers, screaming in agony as they are seemingly ripped apart. Suddenly, Graham shoots up out of bed, revealing it to have only been a nightmare.*)**

 **~Below is a wasteland,**

 **With stories of empires underground.~**

 **(*Inside Hyperspace, Colleen finds the ruins of the GPU's old Headquarters, which was destroyed on the day Psycho went rampant. Spotting a piece of plastic on the ground, she picks it up, discovering it to be the weathered remains of Professor Miles' ID badge. Out of nowhere, a decayed and rotting corpse lunges at her from the ground, only for her to wake up from what turns out to have also been a nightmare.*)**

 **~Did we crawl to salvation,**

 **Make it this far just to bank our way back down?~**

 **(*Back in the real world, the Rangers are in an intense unmorphed-fight with a Metaloid, and the odds are heavily stacked against them. Struggling back to their feet, the six brandish their morphers and activate them, transforming into their Ranger forms before charging back into battle.*)**

 **~Cuz this a fight to break the silence,**

 **These are the lies we make to try to hold ourselves up, now!~**

 **(*Graham continues to lead his team as they take on a newly summoned batch of Buglars, who have assembled to guard the Metaloid they are fighting. Seeing brief glimpses of his mother in the back of mind, Graham brushes them off, not letting them distract him as he keeps on fighting.*)**

 **~The pull of the tide is always quiet,**

 **But this is a fight to take one more breath before we drown!~**

 **(*Using a combined finisher, the Rangers take out the Metaloid, which Enter subsequently revives, enabling said Metaloid to pilot the giant robot that is then sent from Hyperspace. Summoning their Zords, they form the Artillery Rush in order to fight it. Seeing this, Enter simply scoffs, turning away as the scene fades from view and the logo of the show appears; the song ends moments later as the opening comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Opening Theme: "Ghosts in the Water" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 18: Catfish**

On a seemingly abandoned airfield in Wyoming, a battle was brewing. Ducking behind the rusted out doors of an old hangar, which was pretty much in shambles, an African American male in his early to mid thirties looked on in slight worry, as he was shot at by a group of strange, faceless individuals. They were wearing trenchcoats and hats that covered most of their upper bodies, with the only visibly distinct feature being their eyes, which glowed red through the shadows that were being cast over their faces. Their weapons were like something out of a sci-fi novel; they resembled assault rifles, but they shot lasers instead of bullets.

As the laser bolts being fired at him soared over his head, the man turned and began darting his eyes around the room, searching for a way to defend himself from the onslaught of attackers. However, he had no such luck-the best thing he could find was a discarded lead pipe, but even that wouldn't work, as it was far too rusty and brittle looking to be a viable weapon.

Taking a deep breath, the man turned his attention back to his attackers, as they began advancing on the hangar, ceasing fire but keeping their weapons trained in his general direction. Accepting the fate that was sure to befall him within the next minute or so, the man stepped out from behind the door with a stoic look on his face. If he was going to die, he was determined to do so with pride.

Before that could happen though, a mechanical whirring noise echoed across the airfield, confusing his attackers. Turning around, the trenchcoat-clad fiends scanned their surroundings, trying to locate the source of the sound. Spotting something weird behind the doors of a second hangar adjacent to the first one, one of the mysterious figures made his way over to it, gripping his weapon tightly as he did so.

The figure was almost inside the hangar when out of nowhere, a hand reached out and grabbed him, pulling him inside and knocking him out cold with a single punch to the head.

Seeing this, the other gunmen rushed to investigate, but they all stopped dead in their tracks when they felt their weapons being ripped out of their hands by some unseen force.

Looking around in confusion, they failed to notice as none other than Nate and Shawn leapt out of the second hangar in order to jump them; within seconds, half of the goons were on the ground, having been knocked out cold. In retaliation, the other half rushed to take them down, but before they could, they themselves were knocked down by two streaks of energy, one red, the other green.

Skidding to a halt on the other side of the goons as they fell to the ground, Graham and Tanner turned to face eachother, exchanging a high five as Nate and Shawn rushed to meet them. They were soon joined by Colin, who sprinted out of the second hangar, and Colleen, who used her superagility to bound over to them in record time.

"Nice work, you two." The Yellow Ranger congratulated Graham and Tanner, her eyes focusing on the former.

Seeming somewhat offended by this, Shawn tugged on her shoulder and said, "Um, Nate and I helped too, y'know..."

"Shawn, focus." Nate told his brother, gesturing over to the goons as they all hopped back up to their feet and took a collective fighting stance. "We're not of the woods yet."

"Good eye, Nate." Tanner complimented, to which Nate gave him somewhat of a cross look.

"What did I _just_ say about focusing, Tanner?" Nate chided. Looking to the others, he added, "Save the chitchat for later, the goons all just got back up."

"That's not all." Graham pointed out. "Look,"

Following the Red Ranger's gaze, Nate watched as the goons all simultaneously grabbed ahold of their trenchcoats and ripped them off, revealing themselves to not be human. However, they were not Buglars, either-instead, they were something else entirely, looking as if they were made of pure energy. Their skin-if you could even call it that-was bright red, and Nate tilted his head as he racked his brain trying to figure out why they looked so familiar.

Looking to Graham once he figured it out, he uttered one word, "Digitrons."

"You mean those weird footsoldiers that F.E.A.R conjured up during our fight with it?" Colin questioned. "Does that mean it survived?"

"God I hope not," Shawn sighed.

"Guys, relax. Right now that doesn't matter, what matters is taking these things down, and I severely doubt we can do that just using our abilities." Graham said, brandishing his Morphin' Brace before looking to the others and nodding, prompting them to do the same. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!" The six cried in unison, instantly morphing into their Ranger suits as the civilian hiding in the first hangar looked on, appearing to be astonished by their transformation.

Pressing a button on their Transpods in order to summon their Buddy Visors, Graham, Colin, and Colleen attached the devices to the front of their morphers before saying, "Buddy Armor Mode: Engage!"

Following their lead, Nate and Shawn summoned their Beetle Boosters and equipped them before saying, "Beetle Booster: Engage!". Meanwhile, Tanner simply materialized his Spy-Saber V2, and once they were all done the six charged back into battle with the Digitrons.

"Let's do this!" Graham declared, leading his team into combat with confidence. Using his amplified superspeed, he teleported around the airfield, grabbing Digitrons and holding them in place so that Tanner could speed by and slash them with his Spy-Saber V2, destroying them in a single blow.

"Yo, Nate!" Colin hollered, using his material-osmosis to pull a boulder out of the concrete before looking to the Gold Ranger. "Batter up!"

With that, he tossed the boulder into the air and watched, as Nate leapt into the air and levitated using his amplified telekinesis. Using his Drive Blade, the Gold Ranger slashed at the boulder, causing it to break apart into several shards which subsequently cut through a large portion of the Digitrons. This caused them to fall to their knees and explode into ones and zeroes of binary code, which dissipated moments later.

"What do you know? I hit a home run," Nate said smugly as he levitated back down to the ground.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the airfield, Shawn and Colleen were working in tandem in order to take down the remainder of the Digitrons. Using his upgraded hyper-detection, Shawn determined the Digitrons' weakspots. He then relayed this information to Colleen, who leapt into the air and used her amplified superagility to deliver a series of devastating flying kicks to each Digitron's weakspot, destroying them on impact.

"I think that was the last of 'em," Graham said, scanning his immediate surroundings in order to verify that they had indeed dealt with all of the Digitrons. Once he was absolutely sure, he motioned to the others and said, "Everyone, form up on me. We need to find out who made the distress call."

"I think I can hazard a guess," Nate said as he and the others linked up with their leader. He then proceeded to gesture behind them, where the man who was being shot at could be seen making his way over to them.

"You six...are with the GPU, aren't you?" He asked, surprising Graham and the others.

"How do you know that?" Colin questioned, tilting his head in confusion.

"The insignia on your suits," He replied, pointing to Colin's Transpod. Reaching into his pocket, he procured a metal badge with the exact same insignia, which he showed to the teens before saying, "It's exactly the same as the one on my ID badge."

"ID Badge? You mean-?"

"Yep, you're looking at a GPU agent." He confirmed. Pointing to his chest with his right thumb, he continued, saying, "I'm Sergeant Truman. Thanks for bailing me out."

"Wait a minute...Mark?" Lieutenant Woods said over the comm-link, his voice emitting itself from the speakers on the Rangers' morphers. "Is that you?"

"Marty? Is that you?!" Sergeant Truman exclaimed, grabbing Nate's arm and leaning close to his Morphin' Blaster in order to talk to the Lieutenant.

"You know it!"

Tilting his head in confusion, Shawn spoke into his own morpher, saying, "Dad? You know this guy?"

"Yep! We go way back!" The Lieutenant confirmed, excitement evident in his tone. "C'mon back to base, I'll tell you all about it."

* * *

"Recognized: Graham, B-06."

"Recognized: Colin, B-04."

"Recognized: Colleen, B-05."

"Recognized: Nate, B-07."

"Recognized: Shawn, B-08."

"Recognized: Tanner, B-09."

Letting out a long yawn as he and the others stepped through the teleporter and into the Common Area at HQ, Colin said, "Man, that was exhausting. I am _not_ a fan of night missions."

"Same here," Shawn told him, rubbing his eyes somewhat tiredly. "Being woken up in the middle of the night for Ranger Duty is painful."

Turning to Graham, Colleen said, "What about you? Did you get woken up by the distress call?"

"No, I was actually still awake. I was getting caught up on My Hero Academia," He admitted rather sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

Overhearing this, Colin turned around and gave his red counterpart a high five, chiming in with, "That's a really good manga, dude! Who's your favorite character? Mine's Todoroki."

"I really like Baku-", Graham began, pausing when he saw Colin's grin morph into a scowl. He then continued somewhat awkwardly, saying, "-go. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you lowkey have the absolute worst taste in characters," Colin said, shaking his head at his friend.

This prompted Graham to roll his eyes. Meanwhile, the teleporter whirred back to life, as another person warped into HQ.

"Processing..." A computerized voice said over the intercom, as Sergeant Truman warped into the Common Area. "Recognized: Sergeant Truman, A-16."

"Yo, Mark!" Lieutenant Woods said as he walked into the Common Area. He was accompanied by Lieutenant Rose, who had rushed to HQ earlier along with the Rangers. "Long time, no see, man!"

"I know, right? What's it been like, seven or eight years, now?" Mark replied, giving the Lieutenant a quick hug before letting go. Looking at the insignia on his uniform, he spoke again, saying, "Woah, you're a Lieutenant? When did that happen?"

"A little over a year ago, actually." Martin told him. Turning to Alicia and noticing she felt a little awkward, he wrapped his arm around her waist and said, "Alicia, this is Sergeant Mark Truman, I used to serve with him at the New Zealand Branch. Mark, this is my wife, Lieutenant Alicia Rose."

"Wife? You got with a fellow officer? Marty, you dog!" Mark said, letting out a hearty laugh. Looking to Alicia, he held out his hand for her to shake before saying, "In all seriousness, it's really nice to meet you, Alicia."

"Nice to meet you too," Alicia told him, shaking his hand. Looking to her husband, she said, "I take it you two were close?"

"Yeah, we were really close friends." Martin nodded. "Best friends, actually."

"We were inseparable," Mark added, letting out a bit of a chuckle. "Whenever we were stuck at the base with nothing to do, me and this guy used to swipe some of the surplus crates and hide them in weird places all around the complex. It totally drove our CO nuts."

"Yep," Martin grinned. "Of course, it backfired once. This one time, the whole base went on red alert, and our CO came into the barracks yelling at everyone to grab their gear and get ready for a battle. Anyway, Mark and I hidden the crates full of fresh gear just a few days ago, and ironically, that was the first and only time we ever _forgot_ where they were hidden."

"Man, those were the days!" Mark laughed, reminiscing with his old friend. Patting Martin on the shoulder, he changed the subject, saying, "Anyway, thanks for answering my distress call, man. You really saved my hide."

"Who, me? I didn't really do much. You should be thanking the Rangers, if it wasn't for them, the Digitrons would've had you for sure. Here, I'll introduce you."

Leaving his wife's side in order to lead Mark over to the Rangers, who were all talking amongst eachother at the other end of the Common Area, Martin gestured to them and said, "Mark, these are the GPU's very own Power Rangers. First and foremost, we've got the leader and Red Ranger, Graham."

Giving the Sergeant a small salute, Graham spoke politely, saying, "Pleasure to meet you, Sergeant."

"Pleasure's all mine, Graham," Mark replied, giving him a small salute of his own as Martin continued.

"Colin here is our Blue Ranger. He's the muscle of the team."

"Sup," Colin said casually, holding out his fist for a fist-bump.

Seeing this, Mark fist-bumped the teen and said, "I like your style, Colin."

"Our Yellow Ranger is Colleen. She's the only girl, but don't let that fool you-she's actually one hell of a sharpshooter."

"Oh yeah?" Mark said, turning to Colleen before adding, "I knew a female cadet back in New Zealand who could pop the cap off a target half a mile away without even looking. You ever done that?"

"No but I'm sure I can if I try," Colleen said with a smirk.

"I like you," Mark said with a laugh, as Martin moved on.

"This is Graham's younger brother Tanner, he's our Green Ranger and newest recruit." Martin began. "He may be a rookie, but he's got a lot of spirit. He's also got superspeed just like his older brother, so he's essentially the Wally West to Graham's Barry Allen."

"Nice," Mark replied. Turning to Tanner, he said, "Welcome to the GPU, rook."

"Thank you. It's an honor." Tanner said, dipping his head slightly in a sign of respect.

"Alright, last but not least, we've got our Gold and Silver Rangers, my sons Nate and Shawn." Martin said, gesturing over to the pair of brothers.

"Sons? But they're teenagers. Marty, I knew you were wild back then, but I didn't know you were _that_ wild."

"No, no, it's not like that. They're adopted." Martin corrected him. "It's a long story. Kind of a crazy one too, but we wouldn't have had it any other way, right boys?"

"Ahuh!" Shawn said in a childlike manner, giving his adoptive father a smile. Turning to Nate, he elbowed him in the side before saying, "Right, Nate?"

"Uh, yeah." Nate said somewhat awkwardly, sounding like he was distracted. "Right."

"Well, those are our Rangers." Lieutenant Woods said. "Anyway, it's really late, so I should probably let them go home so they can go back to sleep. Same with Alicia actually, this was supposed to be her night off."

"Martin, are you sure?" Lieutenant Rose asked. "I can stay here and help you if you want, it's not a big deal."

"No, Alicia. You deserve some time off." Her husband told her. "Besides, I'll be fine! I've got Mark here to keep me company."

"He's got a point, there! We've got a lot of catching up to do." Mark said with a laugh, slapping his friend on the back as he turned to walk back to the Command Room. "Say, why don't we swap stories over a few ice cold beers?"

"Sorry man, still not a fan of alcohol." Lieutenant Woods said, politely declining the offer. "Besides, I gotta get back to monitoring the base, Captain Shields put me in charge while he's away."

 _There's something...off about that guy._ Nate thought to himself, as he watched the two leave the Common Area. Reaching up to adjust his glasses with his thumb, he continued thinking to himself as he watched them fade into the corridor. _I can't quite put my finger on it, there's just something about him that seems-_

"Nate, sweetie? Are you alright?" Lieutenant Rose asked her adoptive son, who subsequently became so startled that he almost jumped. Tilting her head in slight concern, she said, "You've been staring at the hallway for the past two or three minutes."

" _I have?"_ Nate thought aloud, shaking his head in order to clear his mind before responding with, "No mom, I'm fine. Just tired, that's all..."

"I hear ya there," Alicia replied, stifling a yawn. "C'mon, let's go home and get some sleep."

With that, she turned and began walking towards the teleporter, with the other Rangers following closely behind. Giving the hallway one last glance, Nate shook his head before turning to follow the others, hoping to get a good night's rest and hopefully clear his head.

* * *

Once he got home, Nate couldn't seem to fall back asleep, despite his best efforts. Tossing and turning in his bed, he groaned in frustration-his mind would not stop wandering back and forth; it was almost as if his neurons were firing off at like a mile a minute, working in tandem to overload his brain and prevent him from resting.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Back at HQ…_

"So," Sergeant Truman began, as Lieutenant Woods led him into the Command Room. "This is where all the magic happens, huh?"

"Yep," Lieutenant Woods said with a nod, sitting down in Captain Shields' desk and propping his feet up on his chair. Checking the computer monitor in front of him for any signs of important new information, he looked back up at his old friend before saying, "Looks a lot more advanced than the Command Room back in New Zealand, doesn't it?"

Looking around the room with a somewhat strange look in his eyes, the Sergeant replied, "Yeah, sure."

* * *

After yet another one of his attempts to fall asleep failed, Nate thrust the covers off of his body and sat up in bed, letting out a frustrated huff before reaching for his nightstand and fumbling with his hand until he found the lamp. Turning on the bedside light source, he looked over and grabbed his glasses case, which was beside the lamp; he then proceeded to open it and procure his glasses, which he carefully put onto his face before adjusting them with his thumb. Dangling his feet over the edge of the bed, he stared at the carpet and took a deep breath, as he tried to determine why his mind would not stop racing.

 _Something about that Sergeant Truman guy...really doesn't sit well with me for some reason._ Nate realized, prompting him to reach for his laptop bag in order to procure his laptop. Slipping it out of its pocket, he placed it on the bed in front of him and opened it before powering it on; he had to shield his eyes from the glow of the screen at first, but after a couple of seconds, he got used to the brightness it omitted.

Opening up the secret GPU database he had installed on it, he navigated to the section labeled 'Personnel'. Clicking on the search bar, he typed in 'Truman, Mark' and pressed enter, which prompted the computer to comb through the list of enlisted cadets and officers in an attempt to find Sergeant Truman's file. It emitted an electronic click a few seconds later, letting Nate know that it had found the file that he was searching for.

Unfortunately, it seemed to be encrypted for some strange reason. Tilting his head in confusion, Nate thought aloud to himself, saying, " _Encrypted, huh? That's weird...he's only a Sergeant, his file should be easily accessible to anyone with access to GPU records...I wonder what's up with that."_

Cracking his knuckles in order to alleviate the cramping he felt in his hands, he typed in a series of commands using the keyboard in order to open up his usual hacking program, which he then began using in an attempt to break through the encryption on the file. Every once in awhile he would hear some strange noise outside his door, which prompted him to look up to ensure no one had opened it and was watching him-there was no telling what would happen if either his adoptive mother or brother entered his bedroom and caught him hacking into the GPU's top-secret files.

* * *

Back at HQ, Lieutenant Woods continued to monitor the base and the city as a whole from Captain Shields' desk, idly chatting with Sergeant Truman while he did so. At some point, the large automatic doors to the Command Room slid open, startling the two enough to cause them to shift their attention to the doorway. Briskly walking into the room from said doorway, Professor Tennet spoke, saying, "Lieutenant Woods, I don't mean to trouble you at this time, but there are some lab reports I really think the Captain needs to see. I came here to give them to you so you can show them to him once he returns. Make sure to keep them in a safe-"

Noticing Sergeant Truman in the corner of her vision, Professor Tennet paused for a moment before continuing with, "-place. I'm sorry, but I don't recognize you. Would you happen to be the person who sent the distress call earlier?"

"Yeah, that's me." He nodded in confirmation, holding out his badge for her to see before adding, "Sergeant Mark Truman, at your service."

"Sergeant? Odd, you seem to have misplaced the rest of your uniform..."

"Yeah, I noticed that too, actually." Lieutenant Woods spoke up, looking up from the Captain's computer in order to gaze at his old friend. "You on shore leave or something?"

"I don't know about you, Marty, but when I get time off, I like to spend it anywhere but _Wyoming_ of all places," Sergeant Truman said, letting out a bit of a laugh at his friend's expense. He then added, "I was on an undercover assignment, actually."

"Oh, okay. I thought I heard something about that from someone in the New Zealand branch."

"Me too..." Professor Tennet chimed in; her tone of voice was somewhat incredulous, and the look in her eyes could only be described as odd-like, odd even by Professor Tennet standards. Shaking her head slightly in order to clear her thoughts, she placed the large folder she was carrying on Captain Shields' desk before saying, "Well gentlemen, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to get back to work. I left one of my interns in charge of the lab while I was away, and I don't really trust him enough to leave him unattended for too long. Until next time,"

With that, she turned and left the room, walking back out into the hallway in order to make her way back to her lab. As the doors to the Command Room slid closed behind her, Sergeant Truman turned to Lieutenant Woods and said, "Who was that?"

"Oh, her? That was Professor Tennet, she's been the head of RnD here ever since Professor Miles...well, y'know." Lieutenant Woods told him, referring to the incident with Psycho from over ten years ago. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I just think she's a little weird, that's all." He replied, a hint of contempt in his voice. "Is she always that emotionally distant? I don't remember much about William Miles, but he never acted that weird around people."

"Professor Miles was a special case, Mark. Aside from him, most scientists I've met have been pretty socially awkward. Me personally, I chalk it up to them sitting in a lab all day. I mean, if I did that, I'd forget how to interact with people too."

"Yeah, guess you've got a point, there..."

"So, this undercover assignment." Martin said suddenly, changing the subject. "You wanna tell me about it?"

Furrowing his eyebrows at the mention of his assignment, Mark looked at his friend and said, "Marty, I'd love to, but it's sorta this thing I like to call 'Classified'."

"C'mon, we're friends, Mark! You can tell me!" Martin pleaded, lightly slapping his friend on the back. "What could be so classified about an undercover mission in Wyoming?"

"I'm sorry, Martin. I really can't tell you."

"Oh...well, okay." Martin said rather awkwardly, having not foreseen this from his friend.

* * *

" _and...done."_ Nate whispered to himself as he successfully decrypted the file he was trying to access, which caused his laptop to emit another one of its trademark beeps. Smirking a little bit, he spoke again in a jocular fashion, saying, " _Now, let's see what Big Brother was trying to hide from me. Sergeant Mark Truman is listed as...MIA? What?"_

Scrolling through the contents of the file, Nate read it aloud, saying, " _As of May 11_ _th_ _, 2012, Sergeant Mark S. Truman is officially considered Missing in Action after disappearing on an undercover mission in a small town in northern Wyoming. The exact details are unclear at this time, but it is very likely that Sergeant Truman was killed in the midst of battle...possibly even murdered."_

Feeling a strange mix of fear, anxiety, and suspicion fill the pit of his stomach as he read the official report, Nate thought to himself, _This is starting to seem really fishy...why would the upper brass cover up the fact that Sergeant Truman went missing? It's obvious that they hid it from Dad, otherwise he would've questioned it...furthermore, why didn't Truman himself mention it? You'd think it would be something he would at least bring up...unless…_

Looking up at his door again in order to make sure he wasn't being watched, Nate looked back down at his laptop and minimized the GPU database. Opening up his computer's web browser, he typed in a series of commands in order to search for old news articles from May of 2012 originating from Wyoming. At first, he didn't seem to have any luck, but eventually, he found something of interest. Clicking on the article, he began to read it to himself aloud, all while an eerie sense of dread set in.

" _On Saturday, May 7th, a body was found in a forest on the outskirts of Alpine Hills, Wyoming. Coroners at the local morgue have been unable to piece together an exact ID, but the body's appearance seems to match the description of a man named Marcus Thompson, who was reported missing on April 30_ _th_ _. The owner of an inn where Marcus was staying prior to his disappearance has been questioned about the incident, but all he seems to know is that Mr. Thompson was visiting on business...Marcus Thompson...where have I heard that name before…?"_

Navigating back to the database, Nate scanned Sergeant Truman's file; eventually, he found what he was looking for-the name 'Marcus Thompson' listed under the Sergeant's known aliases that he would use during undercover missions.

" _I was right...Sergeant Truman died. But wait, that means…the guy we saved isn't really him! Dad's in danger!"_ Nate realized with a start. Slamming his laptop closed and reaching underneath his pillow in order to procure his phone, he went to his contacts and dialed Graham's number. As he listened to the dial tone, Nate said, "C'mon, pick up! Pick up!"

"...Hello?" Graham said rather groggily as he answered Nate's phone call; he had obviously been sleeping.

"Graham, it's Nate. Listen, this is gonna sound crazy, but you have to believe me!" Nate told him. "Okay, I had a bad feeling about that Sergeant Truman guy, so I did some digging, and you're never gonna believe this. He went MIA during an undercover assignment in 2012, around the exact same time that a body was found that matched the missing person's report for Marcus Thompson, which is an alias he used frequently while undercover. Sergeant Truman is dead."

"Dead…? But if he's dead, doesn't that mean-"

"Yes, exactly! Which is why I need you to grab Tanner and the twins and meet Shawn at I at HQ, ASAP!" Nate told him, looking up from his phone to see a tired looking Shawn standing in the doorway. Looking up at his brother, he said, "Okay good, you're awake. Listen, I don't have time to explain, but Dad's in danger. We have to go back to HQ, right now! Grab your morpher and let's get a move on!"

* * *

Back at HQ, Lieutenant Woods looked up from his work and stretching out his arms, hearing his bones snap softly. Looking up at his friend, he said, "Well, I think it's about time I called it a night. The automated security should be able to take care of things until Captain Shields gets back. I'm going home, you're more than welcome to crash on my couch if you want."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Sergeant Truman said, a hint of disinterest in his tone. "When exactly is Captain Shields getting back, anyway?"

"He'll be here in about an hour, hour and a half, maybe. I don't know." Lieutenant Woods shrugged. "Why?"

"Just need to know how much time I have to get what I came for," Sergeant Truman said ominously, his mouth forming into an evil grin.

Before Lieutenant Woods could figure out what was happening, the Sergeant placed his hand on his forehead, causing him to fall unconscious as tiny bolts of electricity surged out of his friend's hand. Allowing the unconscious Lieutenant to drop to the floor, Sergeant Truman began to laugh; as he laughed, his voice got deeper and deeper, until it didn't even remotely resemble that of a human.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest in an X shape, he slowly uncrossed them, which caused the face of Mark Truman to fade away, revealing a construct made of pure energy, similar to F.E.A.R. Unlike F.E.A.R however, this construct was colored a bright blue. Letting out another evil cackle, the construct floated over to Captain Shields' desk and took a seat, typing in a series of commands into the keyboard of the central computer terminal in order to put HQ into lockdown.

This caused a klaxon to blare over the intercom, and loud mechanical noises began to echo throughout the base as doors began to seal themselves shut, trapping everyone inside the rooms they were currently in and preventing them from leaving. It also shut off the teleporters, preventing anyone inside the base from leaving and anyone outside the base from entering.

Standing up from the desk, the construct spoke to itself, saying, "Excellent...now onto the next phase of the plan." With that, it turned and hovered over to the wall, which it then proceeded to phase through in order to go back out to the hallway.

Floating down the corridor, the construct passed a few stray cadets and officers, which it used its electricity to knock unconscious just like it had done with Lieutenant Woods. Once all of the stragglers had been incapacitated, the construct made its way into the Common Area and held out his right hand, conjuring up a large group of Digitrons. Gesturing over to the entrance of the Common Area, it addressed its new subordinates, saying, "Guard that teleporter. No one gets in or out under your watch, understand?"

Receiving a series of guttural, unintelligible clicks in response, the construct spoke again, saying, "Good." It then turned and floated off in the other direction, leaving the digital footsoldiers to guard the Common Area on their own.

* * *

Pacing back and forth in front of one of the city's many secret teleporters as night turned to dawn, Nate mumbled to himself in an anxious tone, saying, " _C'mon, c'mon..."_

Tapping his adoptive brother on the shoulder, Shawn gestured towards the distance and said, "There they are."

Following his brother's gaze just in time to see Graham, Colin, Colleen, and Tanner rush over to them, Nate addressed the four, saying, "Good, you're here. Listen, I don't know if Graham had time to fill you guys in on the way here, but to make a long story short, Sergeant Truman isn't what he seems. He's an impostor."

"Then...that means Lieutenant Woods is...in danger." Colin said in-between short, shallow breaths, having become slightly winded in the rush to meet the Gold and Silver Rangers. "We gotta go rescue him, right?"

"Woah, slow down. It's not that simple, CV." Nate said sternly, a serious look on his face. "I don't know what exactly we're dealing with, I just know that the Sergeant Truman that's at HQ isn't the real one. Nobody is anymore, he died back in 2012. Anyway, like I said, other than that, I really have no idea what the hell we're dealing with, so we can't just rush in. We need to be ready for anything."

"What exactly should we do?" Colleen questioned, a curious look in her eyes.

"I don't know," Nate admitted. "But we should definitely be ready to morph the second we set foot in there."

"Good idea." Graham nodded. "Like you said, there's no telling what we're actually dealing with until we teleport in. We wouldn't want to get caught up the creek without a paddle."

"What happens if things go south?" Colin asked. "Shouldn't one of us stay behind in case we get our asses kicked?"

"No, that's not a good idea, we need all hands on deck until we know what we're dealing with." Graham told him. "Tell you what, we'll designate one Ranger to be on standby. If things start to get dicey, that person can retreat through the teleporter and call for backup at a moment's notice."

"Sounds good." Tanner chimed in. "Who are we gonna use, though?"

"Huh...well, they'll need to be a bit smaller, quicker, and overall more agile, that way they won't have any trouble slipping out without getting caught."

"Makes sense. So, who would that-" Tanner said, pausing as he felt the others all shift their gaze towards him. "I'm not short! I'm fun-sized!"

"It's okay, Tanner. We're all older than you by a few years, so it makes sense that we're taller. Just calm down..." Graham pointed out, patting his younger brother on the back in an attempt to soothe him.

"Alright, so it's settled, then!" Shawn hollered. "Let's go save Dad!"

With that, the six turned to face the teleport, forming a single-file line with Graham at the front and Tanner at the rear.

Readying his Morphin' Brace, Graham took a deep breath before stepping into the teleporter; however, nothing happened. It didn't teleport him into HQ, or anywhere for that matter-instead, it emitted a loud beep. An electronic voice than spoke, saying, "Attention: System Lockdown has been activated. Repeat: System Lockdown has been activated. Teleportation is not possible at this time, please try again later."

"Crap, we're locked out!" Graham shouted in annoyance. Turning to Nate, he addressed him, saying, "Can you hack into the system in order to get us in there?"

"Yes, but it may take awhile." Nate told him, reaching into his laptop bag and whipping out his laptop. Kneeling down and hooking up the laptop to the teleporter via a USB cable, he began the process of hacking into the system before saying, "It's a good thing I never leave home without this thing,"

* * *

Making its way down the hallways of GPU Headquarters, the construct stopped when it reached the freight elevator, which was currently shut down since the base with in lockdown mode. Phasing through the elevator doors, it entered the elevator and phased through the floor into the elevator shaft, which it then drifted down until it reached its destination, the sub-basement.

Phasing into the room, the construct let out an amused laugh as it looked around, examining all the exposed wires that ran from floor to ceiling and all along the walls. Hovering to the other side of the room, it stopped in front of a large object that looked like a supercomputer. Almost all of the wires in the room seemed to be connected to it in some way, and on the front, a large label was stuck on it. It was covered in a thick layer of dust, but anyone looking at could still clearly see that it read 'GPU Database, Mainframe I'.

"Yes...exactly what I was looking for," The construct said to itself. Waving its hand over its face to morph back into the disguise of Mark Truman, it proceeded to reach out and press a button on the computer, causing a holographic screen to appear with a matching virtual keyboard. Using the virtual keyboard to navigate through the database, it stopped when it reached a folder entitled 'Project: Ranger'.

"Jackpot," It said to itself. Reaching into its pocket, it procured a flash drive, which it then proceeded to insert into a USB port on the front of the supercomputer. Using the keyboard, he typed in a series of commands into the device, prompting it to begin copying the files from the folder over to the flash drive. Watching as a progress bar appeared onscreen and slowly began filling up, the construct let out a throaty laugh, its voice once again reaching tones so low that they were simply inhuman.

* * *

"Just a little longer, and...bingo!" Nate said to himself as his laptop emitted its usual electronic click, letting him know that the hack was officially complete. Waiting until the teleporter itself emitted an identical sound, he put away his computer and stood back up to his feet. Looking to Graham, he said, "We're in."

"What're we waiting for, then? Let's go!" The Red Ranger commanded, practically leaping into the teleporter in order to warp into HQ. Seeing him disappear into the teleportation grid, the other five followed his lead, with Nate in the front and Tanner once again bringing up the rear.

* * *

Watching the progress bar fill up with an evil grin on its face, the construct posing as Sergeant Truman was caught off guard when the klaxon blaring over the intercom came to an abrupt halt. Looking over his shoulder just in time to see the doors to the elevator shaft unseal themselves, it swore under its breath, furrowing its eyebrows in frustration.

"Impossible! No one could have taken the base out of Lockdown except for Lieutenant Woods, and he's-", It sputtered, pausing mid-sentence in order to tap into the security cameras. Checking on the feed from the Command Room to see that Lieutenant Woods was indeed still unconscious, it continued with, "-still out cold...wait a second."

Switching to the feed from the Common Area, it discovered the source of the disturbance-the Rangers had somehow managed to teleport in, and were dispatching the Digitrons he'd left behind to guard it with relative ease.

"Damn, I must've underestimated those stupid brats...come to think of it, master _did_ mention that one of them was proficient in hacking." The construct said to itself. "Oh well. Master gave me a job to do, and I will _not_ let them interfere. I _will_ succeed where the other failed."

* * *

Inside the Common Area, the fight with the Digitrons was quickly coming to an end. Using their Metahuman abilities in tandem with quick and resourceful thinking, the morphed Rangers easily overpowered the digital footsoldiers. Within a matter of minutes, the room was clear.

"Alright, we did it!" Shawn hollered, spinning his Morphin' Blaster around on his trigger finger as if he were a cowboy. Holstering the weapon, he continued with, "That was almost too easy!"

"I know right? It's like they weren't even trying!" Colin boomed, giving the Silver Ranger a high five.

" _*Tch*_. You guys always say stuff like that." Tanner laughed.

"Don't let your guard down," Nate chided his teammates. "We need to stay alert, we still don't have any idea what we're-"

"You raise an excellent point, Buster Gold." A voice said out of nowhere, cutting Nate off mid-sentence. Walking into the room, Sergeant Mark Truman clasped his hands together, in a sound that echoed throughout the chamber. He then spoke again, saying, "Congratulations on hacking past GPU security, by the way."

"I don't know why you're surprised, it isn't the first time I've done it," Nate scoffed, gripping his Drive Blade tightly. "Look, I don't know who you are or what you're trying to pull, but I know you're an impostor! The real Mark Truman died six years ago!"

"Ding ding ding! That is correct. Congratulations!" Fake Mark Truman shouted, in a mock-game show host voice. He then spoke again; this time, his voice got deeper and deeper with every syllable. "Now I'm gonna show you what you've won!"

Crossing his arms in front of his chest in an 'X' shape, he slowly uncrossed them, causing the face of Mark Truman to fade once more and give way to the true form underneath-a construct made of pure blue energy.

"What the…?" Shawn asked. "It's an AI, like F.E.A.R!"

"Correct again! I am an artificial intelligence similar to the one you call F.E.A.R! I was designed to be a master of disguise-the perfect unit for infiltration and sabotage!" It boomed. "Hence, my name: Infiltr8!"

"...Subtle." Colin quipped.

"Silence, meat-bag, I'm not done talking!" Infiltr8 shouted. "As I was saying, I was designed for infiltration! By scanning someone's brain as it dies, I can take on their appearance, absorb their personality and memories, and then add them to my collection of disguises!"

" _As the brain dies…?"_ Nate asked aloud. "So you're the one who killed Sergeant Truman!"

Letting out a bit of a chuckle, Infiltr8 replied with, "Unfortunately not, kid. When I found the Sergeant, he was already dying. I don't know what happened to him, and frankly, I didn't even care until I found the GPU badge in his pocket. Once I knew he was an agent, I just had to add him to my collection! He may not have died by my hand, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming one of my favorites to use!"

"Why, you...you bastard!" Nate growled, clearly enraged. "People are not toys! All your disguises were real people once!"

"Key word being ' _were'_." Infiltr8 countered. "I don't believe in identity theft, at least not while the victim is still alive. That's why I kill every one of my disguises or wait until they're dying before I add them to my collection."

"Don't act like that justifies your actions, you twisted piece of shit! Now where's my dad?!"

"Twisted is in my programming, kid. Don't act so offended." Infiltr8 began. "And as far as your 'dad' goes, he's still alive. He's in the Command Room taking a bit of a nap, I'm gonna take care of you brats really quick and then I'm gonna go add him to my collection."

"Not on our watch!" Graham chimed in, speaking up for the first time in several minutes. Turning to Nate, he addressed his gold counterpart by saying, "Nate, go make sure your dad's alright!"

"Already on it!" Nate hollered, dashing towards Infiltr8 and ducking into a slide in order to slip past him. Hopping back up to his feet, he continued to run towards the Command Room, leaving his teammates by themselves in the Common Area.

Turning to the others, Graham said, "The rest of you, on me! Colin, Colleen, Shawn, upgrade forms, now! Tanner, get your weapons ready!"

"Right! The other four hollered in unison, acknowledging his orders. As Graham attached his Buddy Visor to the front of his Morphin' Brace, Colin and Colleen followed his lead. Meanwhile, Shawn summoned his Beetle Booster and hooked it onto his Morphin' Blaster. Together, the four activated their upgrades, while calling out:

"Buddy Armor Mode: Engage!"

"Beetle Booster: Engage!"

As their upgraded armor formed on top of their Ranger suits, Graham and the others took a fighting stance. Using his Transpod to materialize his Spy-Saber V2, Tanner folded it and attached it to his Spy-Blaster V2 in order to form the Scope Mode.

"Alright, let's take him down!" Graham hollered, and together he and the others stood their ground as Infiltr8 lunged at them, letting out an inhuman shriek.

* * *

While Graham and the others held Infiltr8 at bay, Nate dashed into the Command Room. Spotting his adoptive father lying on the floor unconscious, the Gold Ranger rushed to his aid. With a bit of struggling, he managed to hoist him back up to his feet. He came close to dropping him a few times, but eventually he had the bright idea of using his telekinesis in order to help take some of the weight off of his arms. Once he was confident that he'd be able to hang onto him, he began to slowly amble across the Command Room.

He was almost out to the hall when he accidentally tripped and fell, dropping Lieutenant Woods in the process. Wincing, the Gold Ranger grunted in pain.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Woods' eyes fluttered open. Looking up at his adoptive son, he said, " _Nate…? What's going on…?"_

"Dad, you're alright!" Nate replied, sighing in relief. "Thank god! Listen to me, Sergeant Truman isn't who you think he is!"

"Yeah, I kinda figured something was up, he knocked me unconscious just by touching my forehead…" He mumbled. "He's a Metahuman, isn't he?"

"Not exactly," Nate told him. "He's an impostor. The real Sergeant Truman is dead. His identity was stolen by Infiltr8, it's an artificial intelligence that can morph its appearance at will."

"...Mark is dead?" Lieutenant Woods asked, a look of sorrow flashing in his eyes. "I can't believe he's gone…"

"I'm really sorry, Dad." Nate told him, giving his adoptive father a sympathetic pat on the back. "I know he meant a lot to you."

"Yeah, he really did..." Martin said, letting out a sad sigh. "But now's not the time to mourn. Right now, we need to teach that impostor a lesson."

Standing up and helping his son back up to his feet, he continued, saying, "I wonder what it's after, anyway..."

"So do...I." Nate said awkwardly, as something caught his eye. "On second thought, it probably has to do with that."

Following his son's gaze, Lieutenant Woods saw the feed from HQ's security cameras. Towards the bottom right corner of the screen was the feed from the sub-basement's camera, which clearly showed Infiltr8 standing in place.

"Wait a minute, our database is down there..." Lieutenant Woods realized. Rushing to Captain Shields' computer, he typed in a series of commands in order to access the mainframe before saying, "Oh no-it's downloading the files for Project: Ranger! We have to stop it before it's too-"

"Leave it to me, Dad!" Nate hollered, cutting him off as he rushed out of the Command Room and back out into the hall.

* * *

Inside the Common Area, the battle with Infilt8 was raging on. Slashing the AI with his Spy-Saber, Graham back-flipped away as Colin and Shawn slid into position. Using his hyper-detection, the Silver Ranger pinpointed his weak spot before proceeding to point it out to the others. Meanwhile, Colin put his hands together to form a makeshift trampoline, which he then used to launch Colleen into the air.

As the Yellow Ranger used her superagility to catch some air, Tanner turned the dial on his Spy-Blaster V2 and aimed it at Infiltr8, saying, "Spy-Blaster V2: Snapshot...STRIKE!"

Gliding through the air gracefully, Colleen stuck out her foot in order to deliver a flying kick. She then shouted, "Rabbit KICK!"

Pulling the trigger the moment Colleen's foot collided with their opponent's face, Tanner send a beam of golden energy cutting through the program like a hot knife through butter. Spinning around, Infiltr8 sputtered for a bit before fading away.

"Alright, we did it!" Tanner hollered, giving his yellow counterpart a high-five.

"Guys!" Nate shouted as he ran back into the room, skidding to a halt in front of his teammates. Once he got their attention, he said, "That thing you just killed was a fake! Infiltr8's been using a decoy!"

"For real?" Colin asked. "Why'd it do it?"

"So it could keep us busy while it stole files from our database," Nate replied. "It's after Project: Ranger!"

Letting out a gasp, Colleen said, "Oh no! If it manages to leave with those files, it'll have data on everything! Our weapons, armor, Metahuman abilities-"

"...we'll be completely powerless," Shawn realized. "If it sells that data to the Vaglass, they'll be unstoppable."

Speaking up, Colin replied, "The hell are we waiting for, then?"

"Colin's right, we don't have time to dilly-dally." Graham pointed out. "Let's move!"

With that, they rushed down the hall and toward the freight elevator, which they then called in order to get to the sub-basement. Once the elevator arrived, they all piled in and pressed the button, taking it down to their destination.

* * *

Sensing this from its location in the sub-basement, Infiltr8 spoke, saying, "Damn, they must've seen through the decoy...I'm still downloading that data, I need a way to keep them out."

Turning around, it held its hand out and focused some of its energy. Shooting what appeared to be a beam of light at the other end of the room, it created a blue barrier of some sort in order to prevent the Rangers from getting through.

Feeling a sense of pride, the construct smirked to itself as it turned around and continued overseeing the download.

"There. Let's see if those pricks can break through that,"

* * *

As the elevator neared its destination, Graham turned to his teammates and addressed them by saying, "Alright everyone, ready up. I'm not an expert on programs or anything, but I know enough to know that Infiltr8 used up some of its energy to create that decoy, meaning the decoy probably wasn't as strong as the original. We could be heading into an even tougher fight, so stay frosty."

"Right," The other five said in unison, taking a fighting stance as the elevator came to a halt. Letting out an electronic beep as it came to a stop, the elevator stayed idle for a few seconds before opening its doors. Graham and the others moved to step into the sub-basement, only to find that an energy-barrier was blocking their path.

"Ha. Bet you didn't see that one coming," Infiltr8 boasted from across the room, not even bothering to turn around and look at his foes.

" _Such an arrogant prick..._ " Colin mumbled under his breath, clenching his fist. Turning to the others, he said, "Leave this to me, guys. Banana and I unlocked a new finishing move when we got Buddy Armor Mode, and I've been _dying_ to try it out!"

Turning his attention back towards the barrier, Colin charged all of his energy into his right arm. Swinging a punch towards the wall of energy, he watched in amazement as his entire fist was temporarily replaced by Banana's gorilla-fist.

"Gorillarge...PUNCH!" The Blue Ranger hollered, as he and Banana punched straight through the barrier.

"...Shit, I wasn't aware you could do that," Infiltr8 swore. Turning around to face the teens as they leapt into the room, it continued with, "I guess I underestimated you."

"You're damn right you did!" Nate hollered. Turning to Graham, he said, "Why don't we do our rollcall, y'know, so this pile of worthless electrons here knows how much trouble it's in?"

"Sure, why not?" Graham replied. Turning to face Infiltr8, he struck his usual pose and said, "Savannah Hunter! Buster Red!"

"Jungle Warrior! Buster Blue!"

"Field Jumper! Buster Yellow!"

"Rhinoceros Power! Buster Gold!"

"Stag Power Buster Silver!"

"Wetland Swimmer! Buster Green!"

"Power Rangers: Spy-Busters!"

"Objective: Take down Infiltr8 before he can escape with that data!" Graham began, brandishing his Spy-Saber and tracing the blade with his fingers. "Ready...?"

"GO!" The other five shouted in unison, and together, they all rushed towards the artificial intelligence. Preparing itself for the coming attack, Infiltr8 spread out its arms and began charging energy in its palms.

"I may have underestimated you children," He began, shooting the energy out of his hands in the form of two large beams of lightning, "But in turn, you have underestimated me!"

Narrowly avoiding the lightning by using his superspeed, Tanner said, "He's not wrong! He's _way_ more powerful than his decoy!"

"Again, that makes sense since he was splitting himself!" Nate pointed out, ducking to avoid the lightning. Turning to Graham, he said, "We need a plan!"

"Got any ideas?" Graham replied, to which his gold counterpart shook his head. Turning to the others, he said, "How'd we beat F.E.A.R, again?"

"Colin hit it with our Wii U," Shawn told him, letting out a sigh. "It's a shame Nate and I sold it to get money for a Switch..."

"I guess we'll just have to wing it, then," Colleen said. Gripping her Spy-Blaster tightly, she aimed it at Infiltr8 and pulled the trigger, firing a series of energy-blasts that the construct subsequently dodged with relative ease. "Yikes. We...might be in trouble..."

Letting out a hearty laugh, Infiltr8 said, "Are you scared, girl? You should be!" Forming a ball of lightning in its palm, it launched it at the Yellow Ranger, sending her flying backwards.

"Colleen!" Graham shouted. Using his superspeed, he dashed over to his yellow counterpart and caught her in mid-air, effectively preventing her from being hurt.

"Thanks for the save," Colleen said, as the Red Ranger skidded to a halt on the other side of the room.

Sighing in relief, Graham replied, "No problem. I'm just glad you're okay."

With that, the two spent the next few moments silently looking at eachother.

Speaking up from within Colleen's armor, Lettuce said, "Hey Romeo, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but you can put us down, now."

"Oh, right," Graham said somewhat awkwardly. Gently putting the girl down, he rubbed the back of his neck before saying, "Well, uh, we should probably get back to the uh, fight."

"Uh yeah, r-right." Colleen replied, turning her attention towards Infiltr8 and using her superagility to leap back into action.

Watching her leave, Graham let out a sigh, and Cheetah Nick spoke up, saying, "..You realize you're not subtle at all, right?"

Hearing this, Graham looked down at his shoulder and replied with, "Quiet, you.", before using his superspeed to jump back into the fight.

Meanwhile on the other side of the room, Nate and Shawn were slashing at Infiltr8 with their Drive Blades, but the construct managed to dodge almost every single time. Growing frustrated, Shawn turned to Nate and said, "Y'know what? This whole 'winging it' thing isn't really working!"

"You think so?" Nate replied sarcastically, a hint of annoyance in his tone. Watching is frustration as Infiltr8 dodged yet another one of his slashes, he took a few steps backward and exchanged his Drive Blade for his Morphin' Blaster before saying, "Screw it, I'm going for a final attack."

Aiming his Morphin' Blaster at the construct as he used his levitation ability to float up in the air, he shouted, "Morphin' Blaster: Finale...FINISH!"

Pulling the trigger, he sent a golden beam of energy soaring towards Infiltr8. However, the construct saw this coming and reacted accordingly, using some energy to create a makeshift shield which it subsequently used to deflect the attack.

Seeing the attack hurtling back towards his brother, Shawn said, "Nate, look out!" Leaping into the air, he jumped in the way of the attack, taking the brunt of the damage before falling to the floor and demorphing. Watching his silver counterpart as he fell unconscious, Nate let out a low growl, levitating back down to the ground and clenching his fist in anger.

"Why, you...you'll pay for that!" He shouted, dashing towards Infiltr8 while firing his Morphin' Blaster rapidly.

"I highly doubt that, Buster Gold!" Infiltr8 replied. Thrusting out its arms, it sent out a shockwave of energy, which surged through the ground. This caused Nate and the others' suits to spark, as they were knocked off their feet by the force of the blow.

Seeing the five struggling to get back up, it grew annoyed. Watching as Colin clenched both of his fists and leapt towards the air with his arms raised above his head, the construct simply shoved him aside, causing the Blue Ranger to crash into one of the spare computers and completely crush it on impact.

"ENOUGH!" It shouted, its voice growing even deeper than before. "Resistance is futile, you brats cannot defeat me! Face it! You've lost!"

"Not yet we haven't, motherfucker!" Colin growled, pouncing towards Infiltr8 with two loose and sparking wires in his hands. Thrusting the wires in the AI's face, he watched as it sparked with electricity and staggered backwards, overwhelmed by all of the energy it was absorbing.

Seeing it twitch and squirm, Tanner said, "Quick, kick him while he's down!" Using his superspeed to dash towards it, he ducked into a slide and aimed his Spy-Blaster V2 at him before saying, "Spy-Blaster V2: Snapshot...STRIKE!"

Firing a trio of energy-blasts at his foe, Tanner skidded to a halt on the other side of it. Looking over his shoulder, he grinned inside his helmet, as he saw Infiltr8 sputter and groan after all the damage it'd taken.

"You heard him!" Nate hollered. "Final attacks, go!"

Whipping out their Spy-Sabers, Colin and Colleen each pressed a button on them before shouting, "Spy-Saber: Stakeout...SLASH!"

Swapping out his Morphin' Blaster for his Drive Blade, Nate shouted, "Drive Blade: Swerving...SLASH!"

Finally, Graham pressed a button on his Buddy Visor and said, "Volcanick...ATTACK!"

With that, the four unleashed their final attacks on the construct, utterly decimating it. Sparking uncontrollably, it sputtered around for a bit before exploding into small streams of data. Said streams seeped into the floor and disappeared, erasing every last trace of its existence.

Seeing this, Graham and the others demorphed and let out a collective sigh of relief. Waking back up and looking around in slight confusion, Shawn titled his head and said, "So...did we win?"

Hearing this, Tanner tried and failed to stifle a laugh. As he began laughing, Shawn and the others all joined in, and a realization dawned on them-they'd won.

Having seen all of this from the Command Room, Lieutenant Woods spoke to himself, saying, "They did it...good. I have no idea how I'm gonna explain this to the Captain, though..."

* * *

"...ultimately, it was my fault, boss." Lieutenant Woods said as he paced back and forth in front Captain Shields, who had returned to the base shortly after Infiltr8's defeat. "There were signs that something was up, but I...I let him in against my better judgement. I'm sorry."

Dipping his head in understanding, the Captain said, "It's perfectly fine, Martin. If an old friend of mine stopped by to visit, I wouldn't question them either. I'm sorry to hear about the real Sergeant Truman, by the way. I only met him once, but from what I can tell, he was a good man."

"He really was..." Lieutenant Woods said sadly.

Hearing this from across the room, Nate sought to change the subject by saying, "There's something I'm really curious about right now. When we first found Infiltr8, he was pretending to be attacked by Digitrons, and then when he took over the base he had some guarding the Common Area. Furthermore, when we mentioned F.E.A.R, he seemed to know exactly what we were talking about...do you think they have some kind of connection?"

"I wondered the same thing, Buster Gold." Professor Tennet said out of nowhere, walking into the Command Room carrying a laptop. "I managed to take a quick sample of Infiltr8's source code before it died, and I compared it to the source code for F.E.A.R. After I did some digging, I quickly realized that they were nearly identical, with only a few minor differences here or there. Wherever they came from, F.E.A.R, Infiltr8, and in turn, the Digitrons...they were all developed by the same person."

"Fascinating..." Lieutenant Woods said.

"That's not all, though." She told him. "There's something else. The source codes for F.E.A.R and Infiltr8, they seemed very...familiar to me when I first examined them. There's a reason for that-both AIs appear to be modified versions of another AI...one we know all too well. Their source codes contain traces of the source code for-"

"-Psycho..." Captain Shields realized, cutting her off. "But that doesn't make any sense, the only one who had access to the source code for Project: Messiah was Professor Miles and he's dead. The only other person who could've possibly had access to that data is..."

"Is who?" Lieutenant Woods asked, tilting his head in slight confusion at the Captain's sudden change in demeanor.

"...Rourke." Captain Shields told him, his face visibly darkening.

"You mean Professor Garfield Rourke? The guy who used to work in RnD and was all buddy-buddy with Professor Miles?" The Lieutenant questioned. "Didn't he get terminated?"

"Yeah, we had to let him go after a series of...incidents. Anyway, he was the only one besides Miles with access to that source code. And if he's out there using it to create AIs..."

"We can take him," Colin said cockily, to which the Captain shook his head.

"No, Colin, I don't think you quite understand," He replied. "Professor Rourke is extremely dangerous. He...he's very mentally unstable, that became clear from the moment I met him. And knowing he's out there, trying to take us down...I don't know, it just worries me."

"Well, it's a good thing we stopped Infiltr8 from getting that data, then." Shawn said. "Right?"

"Yeah..." Logan replied absentmindedly, sounding as if he were lost in thought. "Right."

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

"So, Infiltr8 failed, huh Briggs?" Professor Rourke asked, causing the middle-aged man to jump slightly.

Turning around in his chair in order to face the Professor, Briggs replied with, "Not entirely, sir. It failed to retrieve all of the data, but it managed to send a small portion of it to us using a second decoy that the Rangers didn't know about."

Turning back to his computer, Briggs typed in a series of commands in order to open up a file, which contained a blueprint for what appeared to be a Morphin' Brace. In the bottom right corner of the blueprint, the letters "MB-v3" could be seen, written out in bold text.

"Interesting...so this is the blueprint for one of those fancy morphers the Rangers use." Professor Rourke said. Looking to Briggs as his mouth formed into an evil grin, he said, "What do you say we build ourselves one?"

"Uh, s-sure," Briggs said somewhat awkwardly, sweat trickling down the back of his neck. "Whatever you s-say, sir."

"Good..." Professor Rourke said evilly. "Good."

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

 **(*As the music of the song begins, we see a sweeping shot of a map of the world. Zooming in on America, we see Georgia; zooming in even further, we see Starview Heights. Standing on top of the map, we can clearly see Graham and the other Rangers, who are standing still, stoic looks on their faces. Looking up, they collectively take a fighting stance, as an army of Buglars runs as them and the vocals of the song begin*)**

 **~What makes all of us hate? We're all the same,**

 **We roll the dice, and we play your game!~**

 **(*Transitioning to the city square, we see Enter standing on a rooftop. Waving his arm, he orders a battalion of Buglars to attack the Rangers, locking eyes with Graham, who is visibly angry. Clenching his fist as the Avatar warps away, Graham brandishes his morpher, transforming into Buster Red and prompting the others to follow suite.*)**

 **~We complicate, show us the way,**

 **Before it's too late, and the whole thing breaks~**

 **(*Together, the five leap into action. Colin uses his superstrength to smash his way through the robotic footsoldiers, while Shawn shoots them with his Morphin' Blaster, using his hyper-detection in order to prevent anyone from being flanked*)**

 **~We have a name, we all create,**

 **Everything else, the mistakes we make!~**

 **(*Meanwhile, Colleen uses her superagility to evade the Buglars, as she guns them down with her Spy-Blaster. The ones she misses try to get away, but they are cut down by Nate using his Drive Blade.*)**

 **~We'll make a change, we'll concentrate,**

 **Before we suffocate!~**

 **(*Using his superspeed, Graham skips right past the Buglars and heads straight for the Metaloid, delivering a swift punch to its jaw before kneeing it in the chest. He then attempts to roundhouse kick the robot, but it grabs his foot and tosses him aside, causing the Red Ranger to land on his back.*)**

 **~Can't hold this in, and keep it quiet any longer!**

 **I've fallen in, and now this feeling's getting stronger!~**

 **(*We transition to another scene, where an unmorphed Graham can be seen falling through an endless sky. Reaching his hand out, he tries to scream, but finds he is unable to speak.*)**

 **~You take my breath away!~**

 **(*Falling into the darkness, Graham tries to scream once more, to no avail. Suddenly, he shoots up out of bed, revealing this to have been a nightmare*)**

 **~Now I'm trying to get up, I'm trying to retrace,**

 **My steps back, to wherever I messed up!~**

 **(*Back at the battle, a still-morphed Graham struggles to his feet, summoning his Spy-Saber. Rushing towards the Metaloid, he attempts to slash at it, but it repeatedly evades his attacks, annoying the Red Ranger to no end.*)**

 **~Is forever enough?**

 **I'm holding on!~**

 **(*We transition back to the nightmare, this time starting from the beginning. Inside the void, Graham is hanging off of a cliff, and is about to fall. Standing at the top is Colleen, who reaches out to him, attempting to pull him up.*)**

 **~I know you'll be there,**

 **Whenever I wake up!~**

 **(*Graham succeeds in grabbing her hand, but he accidentally pulls her further down the cliff edge. Realizing she'll fall with him if he doesn't let go, Graham rips his hand away, falling down the cliff while screaming her name. Waking up from the nightmare once more, the Red Ranger takes a series of shallow breaths, calming himself down as the song comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

* * *

 **A/N:** And...done. Again, I'm not gonna apologize for the delay this time bc tbh this has kind of become the norm for me. Instead, I'm just gonna say that I'll try my best to get the next one out sooner. Whether or not I actually will is beyond me at the moment, but hey, I'll do my best.

As far as Professor Rourke goes, yeah. He'll be playing a pretty big part in future episodes. I can't say how exactly he'll affect the plot because that'd spoil a lot of things, but he's gonna have a pretty major role in an upcoming story arc so...yeah. Definitely stay tuned for that.

Also, really quickly, I just wanna remind you guys that I now have a Twitter. I know that may not sound super interesting to you but I'd like to inform you that I'll be posting updates and polls and all sorts of stuff relating to my fanfics on there for ya'll to see, so if you'd be interested in that sort of stuff and you have a Twitter, be sure to follow me. My handle is **Iam_RocketShark**.

Anyway, with that all out of the way, I hope you guys enjoyed the new episode. I'll (eventually) be back with the next one, but until then, please read and review! Peace :)

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** _Escape makes her grand debut, going out to fight the Rangers with Enter at her side! Finding themselves up against the two Avatars as well as a brand new Metaloid, the Rangers will face what is possibly their greatest challenge yet! Can they make it through the coming storm? Find out, in_ **Episode 19: Enter Escape!**


	19. Ep 19: Enter Escape

**A/N:** Here's the new chapter! I don't have anything I really wanna say, so I'll just keep this brief. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please read and review! That is all. Lol.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a fanmade, non-profit adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I do, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

"Escape..." Psycho groaned, his voice ringing throughout the abandoned warehouse that Enter and Escape used as a hideout.

Hearing this, Escape looked up from a book she was reading and said, "Yes?"

"Come here..."

"Coming!" She replied, standing up from her seat and briskly walking over to the video uplink in the center of the room, which began displaying an image of Psycho's warped face. "What is it, papa?"

"Ever since your creation, I've had you stay inside that warehouse and train...no longer. The time has come, I have a mission for you, Escape..." Psycho told her. "Take your brother and create a Metaloid...then have it attack the humans in order to draw out the Rangers. Once that's done...I want you to terminate them."

Hearing this from the other side of the room, Enter spoke up and said, "Monsieur, wouldn't it be more efficient to have me do something else while Escape takes care of the Rangers? Maybe I could perform an Enertron robbery or-"

"SILENCE!" Psycho boomed, his voice full of anger. "You've failed me too many times before, Enter. Until you can prove yourself to me again, you will not be allowed to act on your own. Now do as I say, and assist your sister in this task. Understand?"

"...Yes, Monsieur." Enter said reluctantly, barely managing to hide the resentment in his voice.

"Excellent...then go, and good luck, my children." Psycho concluded, returning to his usual tone of voice. "Remind those pesky teenagers that we mean business."

"You can count on us, papa." Escape replied, an evil smile forming on her face. Turning to leave, she gestured towards Enter and said, "C'mon, brother. We have work to do."

With that, they exited the warehouse, just as the night sky slowly began to give way to the dawn.

* * *

It was a quiet Saturday morning in the suburbs of Starview Heights. Inside the house owned by Scott and Tammy Glover, Graham Ulry was sleeping peacefully in his bed when he was roused from his sleep by an electronic beeping sound. Fluttering his tired eyes open, the eighteen year old reached for his headboard and grabbed his phone, which he confirmed to be the source of the noise.

 _Huh...funny. I guess I forgot to turn off my alarm last night._ He thought to himself, tapping his screen a few times in order to switch off the alarm. Seeing that it was only 6:30 am, he placed his phone back on his headboard and laid back down, closing his eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep.

Tossing and turning for a couple of minutes, he eventually gave up on going back to bed. Sitting up and shrugging the covers off of his body, the Red Ranger hopped out of bed, wincing slightly as his bare feet came into contact with the cold carpet. Making his way over to his bedroom door, he very quietly swung it open and stepped into the hallway in order to walk to the kitchen. Grabbing a loaf of bread off off of the island, he procured two slices of bread and quietly placed them into the toaster before pulling down the lever.

While he waited for the appliance to work its magic, the teen grabbed a glass from the cupboard and opened up the fridge in order to grab a jug of orange juice, which he then used to fill the glass about three-fourths of the way. Putting away the orange juice, he set the glass off to the side and grabbed a paper plate, which he then placed on the island next to the loaf of bread. Grabbing the two slices of toast as they popped up out of the toaster, he plopped them onto the plate and quickly spread them with butter before grabbing both the plate and the glass of orange juice and slipping out of the kitchen.

Heading back into his room, he sat down at his desk and turned on his computer. Setting his breakfast down beside him, he waited for his PC to boot up before opening up his word processor. Navigating through dozens of files until he found the one he was looking for, the original novel that he was working on, he opened it up and scrolled down to the bottom. He then began to type away on the keyboard, adding new things to the current chapter as ideas came flooding into his head.

This continued for the next few minutes, until he was interrupted by his phone emitting another loud electronic beep-however, this time it wasn't an alarm. Instead, it was his ringtone.

" _Man, I forgot to turn down the volume when I woke up, too. What is with with me today…?"_ Graham mused to himself. Spinning around in his chair and standing up to his feet, he crossed the room in order to procure his phone. Pressing the on button in order to illuminate the screen, he saw that the caller was none other than Colleen, his friend, fellow Ranger, and (although he would never admit this last part to anyone but himself) crush. Feeling a tidal wave of nerves rise up in his stomach, he took a deep, calming breath before hitting the answer call button.

"H-Hello?" He stuttered, still feeling somewhat nervous.

"Hey! It's me, Colleen!" His yellow counterpart said excitedly from the other end of the line. This caused Graham to smile almost involuntarily-he couldn't help it. "What's up?"

"Oh, um, nothing much, just uh...doing some early morning writing." Graham said, still struggling to get over the butterflies in his stomach. Sitting back down at his desk, he rubbed the back of his head with his free hand before saying, "I uh, accidentally forgot to turn off my alarm last night, so...yeah."

"Haha, no way! I did the _exact_ same thing!" Colleen giggled. "Anyway, what are you writing?"

"Words," Graham replied sarcastically, letting out a bit of a chuckle. "No, actually, I'm writing a uh, novel. I usually write fanfiction, but lately I've been working on an original story."

"Oh, cool! What's it about?"

"It's kind of complicated...I uh, I don't know if I'd be able to explain it very well without rambling," Graham told her. "It's just a dumb sci-fi story."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short like that. I'm sure it's really cool." Colleen said encouragingly. "You can explain it to me, I won't get bored."

"Oh, um, okay then." Taking a deep breath, Graham continued with, "It's called TimeMasters, and basically it's about these cops who work for the Time Police, a police force dedicated to stopping Time-Criminals who try to exploit time travel for personal gain. A really dangerous Time-Criminal, Bishop, escapes from jail and travels back in time, so one of the Time Cops, Samuel, has to chase him throughout different time periods in order to bring him in."

Waiting until Graham finished explaining, Colleen said, "Hey, that actually sounds pretty cool!"

"Really? You think so?"

"Yeah, totally." Colleen said sincerely. "I'd read it."

"Well uh, cool." Graham said with a chuckle, still feeling somewhat nervous as he talked to his yellow counterpart over the phone.

"Yep. Hey, listen, do you have any plans today?"

"No, not really." Graham replied. "Why?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out or something. Maybe go see a movie?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, that'd be cool." Graham told her. "What does everyone wanna go see?"

"No, I didn't mean like as a group, the others aren't coming. I meant like just you and me."

"Oh..."

"You dummy," Colleen said with a giggle. "So, what do you say? You wanna hang out?"

"Yeah, definitely. That'd be great." Graham said with a smile, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. "Meet you at the mall at noon?"

"Sounds good," Colleen said. "See you-"

Hearing yet another electronic beep emit itself from somewhere in his room, Graham scanned his surroundings in an attempt to locate the source of the noise. Seeing a light emanating from his desk drawer, he opened it up to find his Morphin' Brace, which was currently going off.

"...Or y'know, I could just meet you wherever the Metaloid is attacking?" Graham said somewhat awkwardly.

"Yeah, that works too," Colleen said, sounding slightly annoyed that their plans were being ruined.

With that, Graham hung up the phone, saved his work on his novel, and strapped his Morphin' Brace to his wrist. Jumping out of his chair, he rushed over to his dresser and quickly changed into his casual clothes before rushing out of the room. Grabbing his sneakers from behind the front door of the house, he dashed to the garage and opened the door to find Cheetah Nick, already waiting in his motorcycle mode.

"Let's go, Nick!" He hollered, hopping onto the bike and putting on his helmet before revving it up. Using the garage door remote, he opened up the main door and tossed the remote aside before speeding away, making a sharp right out of the driveway before continuing to speed down the road.

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Ghosts in the Water" by Arrows to Athens***

 **(*The music of the song begins to play, as the camera rapidly pans over Starview Heights. Then, out of nowhere, it comes to a sudden halt at a rooftop, where Graham can be seen observing a battle down below. The vocals of the song begin, as Graham continues to watch, his face full of uncertainty and despair.*)**

 **~At the edge of the Earth, now**

 **I've never seen this place before.~**

 **(*We flash to a downtown city street that has been ravaged by a Vaglass attack; Graham and the other Rangers are slowing making their way through it, observing the damage that has been done with sorrowful looks in their eyes. Kneeling down and picking up a charred teddy bear seemingly abandoned by a child in a hurry, Tanner lets out a sad sigh.*)**

 **~The ghosts in the water,**

 **Waiting for dark before pulling us under.~**

 **(*Meanwhile, Nate and Shawn are in the middle of fighting a battalion of Buglars, when they suddenly lose the advantage, resulting in them becoming surrounded. As Graham and the others look on in pure horror, the Gold and Silver Rangers are pulled into a literal ocean of the footsoldiers, screaming in agony as they are seemingly ripped apart. Suddenly, Graham shoots up out of bed, revealing it to have only been a nightmare.*)**

 **~Below is a wasteland,**

 **With stories of empires underground.~**

 **(*Inside Hyperspace, Colleen finds the ruins of the GPU's old Headquarters, which was destroyed on the day Psycho went rampant. Spotting a piece of plastic on the ground, she picks it up, discovering it to be the weathered remains of Professor Miles' ID badge. Out of nowhere, a decayed and rotting corpse lunges at her from the ground, only for her to wake up from what turns out to have also been a nightmare.*)**

 **~Did we crawl to salvation,**

 **Make it this far just to bank our way back down?~**

 **(*Back in the real world, the Rangers are in an intense unmorphed-fight with a Metaloid, and the odds are heavily stacked against them. Struggling back to their feet, the six brandish their morphers and activate them, transforming into their Ranger forms before charging back into battle.*)**

 **~Cuz this a fight to break the silence,**

 **These are the lies we make to try to hold ourselves up, now!~**

 **(*Graham continues to lead his team as they take on a newly summoned batch of Buglars, who have assembled to guard the Metaloid they are fighting. Seeing brief glimpses of his mother in the back of mind, Graham brushes them off, not letting them distract him as he keeps on fighting.*)**

 **~The pull of the tide is always quiet,**

 **But this is a fight to take one more breath before we drown!~**

 **(*Using a combined finisher, the Rangers take out the Metaloid, which Enter subsequently revives, enabling said Metaloid to pilot the giant robot that is then sent from Hyperspace. Summoning their Zords, they form the Artillery Rush in order to fight it. Seeing this, Enter simply scoffs, turning away as the scene fades from view and the logo of the show appears; the song ends moments later as the opening comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Opening Theme: "Ghosts in the Water" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 19: Enter Escape**

"Well, here we are," Graham said as he slowed to a halt on front of one of the city's many plazas. Removing his helmet, he hopped off of Cheetah Nick, who transformed into his robot mode as his human counterpart continued with, "Captain Shields said this is where they're attacking."

"Interesting..." Nick began, scanning his surroundings as the other Rangers rushed into the area behind them. Turning to Graham, he continued with, "I don't see any Buglars or Metaloids."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Graham replied with, "There aren't any civilians here, either..."

"That's weird," Tanner said.

Tilting his head in confusion, Shawn chimed in with, "What the heck is going on?"

"Confused, kittens?" A voice said out of nowhere, startling the teens. Making her way down the plaza steps in order to meet them, Escape added, "You don't have to be. Why? Because I am here."

"Okay, two things. Firstly, you stole that line from All Might. Secondly...damn," Colin began, unable to take his eyes off of the newcomer. "I don't mean to offend you when I say this, but has anyone ever told you you're smoking hot?"

"Agreed..." Shawn said somewhat dreamily.

"Yes, because _that's_ what's important right now." Nate said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the two's behavior. Using his fingers to flick both of them on the forehead, he added, "Knock it off, we've got more pressing matters to attend to."

"Well said, Buster Gold." Enter said from out of nowhere, making his way down the plaza steps in order to join them. "Well said."

"Enter!" Nate said, letting out a low growl. "If you're here, that means this woman here _has_ to be connected to you in some way!"

"You're half right, Buster Gold. I am connected to Enter...but I am not human. This is Winston," Escape began, lifting up a black pistol of some sort with a bayonet and a dog charm dangling from the end for them to see. Lowering it, she lifted up another pistol that was identical in every way except that it was white instead of black. "This is Julia. And I'm Escape. I'm pretty good."

"We'll see about that," Graham said, as he and the others raised their morphers. "It's Morph-"

"Ah-ah-ah, Buster Red. Not yet." Enter cut him off. "Before we begin, Escape and I have one last friend to introduce...c'mon out, Tiaraloid!"

"It would be my pleasure," A new, feminine voice said, speaking in a very prim and proper manner. Jumping out from behind a nearby tree, a tall white, gold, red, and green Metaloid themed around a tiara bounded down the plaza steps. Performing a slight curtsy, she added, "Greetings, Spy-Busters. My name is Tiaraloid, and I will be partially responsible for your demise."

"Not if we have anything to say about it," Graham shot back. Raising his morpher, he turned to the others and nodded before saying, "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!"

 **~Six-Way Morphing Sequence~**

"Alright guys, no time to waste! Upgrades, now!"

"Buddy Armor Mode: Engage!"

"Beetle Booster: Engage!"

Watching the core five Rangers assume their upgrade forms with an amused smirk on her face, Escape said, "That's quite impressive, kittens. Unfortunately, I doubt they'll be enough to carry through this fight."

With that, she prepared to charge into battle. However, before she could, Enter forcefully placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "You can take on any Ranger you want...except for the Red one. He's _mine_."

Shrugging her shoulders, Escape said, "Very well. He's all yours."

"Magnifique." Enter said with a sinister smile. Turning to look at Graham, he said, "Hear that, Buster Red? Now's our chance to catch up...good. It's been far too long since we last had a chat."

"Not long enough," Graham muttered, brandishing his Spy-Saber in his usual reverse-grip. Superspeeding over to Enter, he swung the weapon towards him, but the Avatar anticipated this. Materializing his own weapon, a long silver rapier, he locked blades with the Red Ranger, effectively blocking the swing before it could hit.

"Is that the best you've got?" Enter taunted.

"Shutup and bring it!" Graham shot back, jerking his arm back before attempting to slash Enter in the face with his weapon.

Warping away just in the nick of time, Enter began rapidly teleporting around the battlefield like a madman, prompting Graham to scan his surroundings in an attempt to locate him. Managing to warp over to the Red Ranger's blind spot, Enter leapt towards the boy and slashed him across the back, causing his armor to spark as he was sent tumbling down to the ground.

"Graham!" Colleen called out, concern evident in her voice. "Hold on, I'm coming!"

Summoning her Spy-Blaster, the Yellow Ranger began making her way over to her Red counterpart. However, before she could reach him she was cut off by Escape, who stepped in front of her and began wagging her finger in a playful manner.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid Enter's only interested in fighting Buster Red. I guess that means we'll have to find another opponent for you, huh?" Escape said. "Oh, I know...you can fight _me_!"

Aiming her dual pistols at Colleen, Escape fired away, shooting several energy-blasts in the girl's direction. Using her superagility, the Yellow Ranger managed to dodge the attacks; as she drifted back down to the ground, she aimed her Spy-Blaster at her attacker and fired a few energy-blasts of her own, which Escape managed to deflect using the bayonet on one of her pistols.

Watching the girl land back on the ground with an amused smirk, Escape said, "That was quite impressive, Buster Yellow. I have a feeling you and I are going to become _good friends!"_

"Don't count on it!" Colleen spat. Running towards her newfound foe, she aimed her Spy-Blaster at her and began firing rapidly.

As Colleen and Escape began their duel and Graham and Enter continued theirs, Colin and the others were on the other side of the battlefield, attempting to deal with Tiaraloid. Using their blaster weapons, Colin, Nate, Shawn, and Tanner fired a barrage of energy-blasts towards the Metaloid, who managed to deflect them by using the tiara on her right-shoulder as a makeshift boomerang.

Catching the tiara as it flew back towards her left hand, Tiaraloid taunted the Rangers by saying, "You're holding back, aren't you? Well knock it off! Show me some respect! I'm royalty after all!"

"You think you're royalty, huh? Well I've got a bit of a news flash for ya, tin can." Nate began. Swapping out his Morphin' Blaster for his Drive Blade, he finished with, "We bow to no man!"

"Or woman!" Tanner added matter-of-factly, as the Gold Ranger charged towards Tiaraloid, trying and failing to slash her with his sword.

Watching as the Metaloid sent Nate flying backwards, Tanner leapt into action, superspeeding towards his gold counterpart in order to catch him and put him on the ground safely. Turning his attention to Tiaraloid, he supersped towards her before ducking into a slide and sweeping her legs out from under her.

Hopping back up to his feet, the young teen summoned his Spy-Blaster V2 and aimed it at Tiaraloid. He was about to pull the trigger when the Metaloid grabbed her tiara off of the ground next to her and thrust it into his chest, knocking him down and sending him rolling away.

"Ow..." Tanner groaned as he stopped rolling, clutching his chest in pain.

"Tanner!" Colin shouted in concern.

Clenching his fist, Nate added, "Dammit, this isn't working. We need a plan!"

"...I think I have an idea," Shawn said out of nowhere, immediately catching the other attention of the others.

Over on the other side of the plaza, the battle between Graham and Enter continued on. Using their teleporting abilities, the two rapidly warped through the air; every few seconds they would stop and slash at eachother with their swords before teleporting away again and repeating the process. Seeking to break Enter's seemingly unbreakable defense, Graham ducked down and delivered a roundhouse kick to the Avatar's legs, before jabbing his Spy-Saber upwards towards his opponent's stomach. Teleporting away just before the Red Ranger's weapon made contact, Enter reappeared on the ground below him. Grabbing the boy by the leg using his energy-tendrils, he slammed him down into the concrete with so much force that he left a small crater.

"...Dang, that smarts," Graham grunted, struggling to mask the intense pain he was in.

Making his way over to him with an amused smirk, Enter said, "You made a valiant effort, Buster Red, but I regret to inform you that you have lost. Upgrade or not, you're still an imperfect human, and I am superior. I'd be lying if I said I didn't learn anything, though, so at least you can take pride in that. 'Til next we meet,"

With that, he teleported away, leaving the Red Ranger all by himself. Meanwhile, back with Colleen and Escape…

"My, my, my. You are quite the agile one, aren't you?" Escape mused as she fired a rapid series of energy-blasts with her dual pistols, all of which Colleen managed to dodge using her superagility. Watching as the Yellow Ranger glided back down to the ground gracefully, she said, "You certainly aren't easy to fight...but I wouldn't have it any other way. I _love_ a challenge!"

" _What is it with you Avatars and the constant narration?"_ Colleen muttered. Charging towards Escape, she aimed her Spy-Blaster at her and began firing rapidly while letting out a battle cry.

Anticipating this, Escape raised her pistols above her head, crossed them in an 'X' shape, and then swung them downward towards the Yellow Ranger, attempting to slash her. Blocking the attack with her Spy-Blaster just in the nick of time, Colleen struggled to hold her in place, as Escape pushed back with what the former hoped was the full extent of her might. She didn't want to entertain the idea that her newfound foe could get any stronger than this.

"You...you're barely hanging in there, aren't you?" Escape observed, letting out an evil chuckle. Withdrawing her pistols, the Avatar waited until Colleen aimed her Spy-Blaster at her and fired before teleporting away. Warping right behind the Yellow Ranger, she held the bayonet of the pistol in her right hand up to her neck and placed her left hand on her shoulder before saying, "This has been fun, Buster Yellow, but I'm afraid I have to run. I'm sure we'll play again soon, though. Maybe after you've gotten a little stronger?"

With that, she teleported away again, prompting Colleen to take a deep breath as the adrenaline from the fight slowly wore off. Looking to her left, she saw Graham limp his way over to her, clearly exhausted after his encounter with Enter. Once they linked up, they turned their attention to the other side of the plaza, where Colin and the others were continuing their efforts to take down Tiaraloid.

"...alright, we go on three." Nate told the other three, as they huddled up in a similar manner to that of a sports team. "One...two...-"

"Wait, do we go _on_ three or are you counting to three and then saying go?" Tanner questioned.

"I don't know, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!" Nate said in slight annoyance. "Alright, one...two...three-"

"GO!" Tanner hollered, running off before his gold counterpart even had a chance to finish.

Superspeeding towards Tiaraloid while brandishing his Spy-Saber V2 in his right hand, the boy slashed in her direction as he went past her. Dodging the attack, the Metaloid watched in amusement as the Green Ranger repeatedly sped past her, attempting to slash her with his sword to no avail. Reaching for her tiara, she flung it towards Tanner, who tumbled to the ground on impact.

Howling in laughter at the sight of this, Tiaraloid caught her tiara as it flew back to her. She then taunted the Green Ranger by saying, "What did I tell you about holding back? You worthless peasant. Treat me with the respect I deserve!"

"...I did," Tanner said with a light chuckle. "Check your tiara,"

"What…?" Tiaraloid asked, tilting her head in slight confusion. Examining her tiara closely, she noticed something strange-on the center, there appeared to be a blinking red light of some sort, which emitted a tiny electronic beep as it flashed off and on. "What is this...?

Pulling himself into a crouching position, Tanner held up a very familiar looking device in his left hand and said, "Mini-explosives. Never leave HQ without 'em."

"Wa...wait a second..." Tiaraloid said. "So that means..."

Before she could even finish her sentence, the mini-explosive that had been attached to her tiara exploded, sending her flying. Letting out a loud scream as she soared through the air, the Metaloid landed back on the ground, and a loud, booming, thudding sound echoed throughout the plaza.

"Told you I gave you what you deserved," Tanner quipped.

Gripping his Spy-Saber in his right hand, he flung it at the Metaloid like a throwing knife. Watching as it sunk into her armor and began sending shockwaves throughout her body, he turned to Shawn and shouted, "She's not going anywhere! Work your magic!"

"Got it," Shawn replied. Using his amplified hyper-detection in order to discover her weakness, Shawn turned to Colin and Nate and shouted, "Her left arm! The one she throws with!"

"Roger that!" Colin hollered. Jumping into the air, he added, "Nate, gimme a boost!"

"Right!" Nate replied. Using his telekinesis, he gave his blue counterpart a slight boost, resulting in him gaining even more altitude before he began to fall back down.

As he drifted back down towards Tiaraloid, Colin charged all of his energy into his right arm. Waiting until his entire right fist had been replaced by Banana's, he reeled back his arm and shouted, "Gorillarge...PUNCH!"

Slamming his fist into Tiaraloid's left arm as he landed, the Blue Ranger quickly back-flipped away, watching as the Metaloid's armor began to spark.

"Wait...this can't...no, this can't be...right..." Tiaraloid sputtered in disbelief. "I'm...royalty. I'm not supposed to die in...battle. Only...only peasants die in...battle…"

With that, she exploded, prompting Colin, Nate, Shawn, and Tanner to demorph before letting out a collective cheer; meanwhile, Graham and Colleen demorphed before letting out sighs of relief.

Having witnessed all of this from a nearby rooftop, Enter said, "Just as I expected. They managed to defeat Tiaraloid with ease. I told you back at the museum that the knight armor would've been a much better choice, Escape."  
"Which is precisely why I didn't pick it. You really expect me to take suggestions from the buffoon who once used the Metavirus on a tuba?" Escape shot back, earning a glare from Enter. She then continued with, "Anyway, brother, do you think we should give her a second chance?"

"It'd be a waste of Enertron, they'd just beat her again anyway." Enter pointed out. "Besides, you heard Monsieur Psycho-this was just a reminder. A harbinger of what's to come for those pesky brats who dare to stand against us. Fear not, Escape...their day of reckoning _will_ come. And when it does...this world will belong to us."

"I can barely wait," Escape replied, letting out an evil laugh. "Let's go home, brother."

With that, the two teleported away, retreating to their warehouse hideout in order to fight another day. _Meanwhile, back with the Rangers…_

"So, Psycho's managed to make another Avatar," Nate observed. " _Great_. Dealing with just one of his little pet projects was already hard enough, now we're up against two of 'em?"

"That isn't the only issue. During my fight with Enter just now, one thing became abundantly clear to me...he's gotten stronger. And I...I haven't, or at least not to the same extent. Even after all the progress I've made, I'm still not on his level." Graham mused. Looking down at his left palm, he continued by saying, "I don't want to be negative about it...but our odds of winning this war just got cut in half."

"There's still a chance," Colleen told him. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she gave it a reassuring squeeze before saying, "Things will be tougher. We'll have to double our training, double the patrols, everything. But we still have a chance. That's why no matter how dark it seems, and no matter how grim the situation looks, we'll still follow you no matter what. We won't back down, not while we're still standing."

"She's right." Colin chimed in. "We believe in you as a leader, and we believe in eachother, too. As long as we're together, there's not a single challenge we can't face."

Taking a deep breath, Nate added, "Graham, you...you taught me what it means to be on a team. Before I met you, I was a lone wolf, only relying on myself and Shawn. I didn't think I needed anyone else, but you...you proved me wrong. A Ranger is strong on their own, but they're stronger when they're part of a team."

"I couldn't agree more." Shawn said with a smile.

"You're my older brother, Graham. So no matter what happens, I'll follow you." Tanner declared. "I'm not afraid. None of us are...so you shouldn't be, either."

"You're right...all of you." Graham replied, balling his left hand into a fist. "Now let's head to HQ, the Captain's gonna want to hear about this."

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

Watching the teens from the Command Room as they made their way to the nearest teleporter, Captain Shields spoke to himself, saying, " _So it's as I feared all along...Psycho can make more Avatars._ _This war just got a lot more complicated..."_

Entering the Command Room and walking up to his desk carrying her usual clipboard, Professor Tennet said, "The situation with Escape seems quite dire, Captain. I suggest we take action."

"You mean-?"

"I do." She said with a nod. Placing the clipboard on his desk in front of him, she added, "I think it's time we activated Buster Pink."

Taking a deep breath, the Captain replied, "Very well. You have my full permission to activate the next phase of Project: Ranger. Find our Pink Ranger."

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

 **(*As the music of the song begins, we see a sweeping shot of a map of the world. Zooming in on America, we see Georgia; zooming in even further, we see Starview Heights. Standing on top of the map, we can clearly see Graham and the other Rangers, who are standing still, stoic looks on their faces. Looking up, they collectively take a fighting stance, as an army of Buglars runs as them and the vocals of the song begin*)**

 **~What makes all of us hate? We're all the same,**

 **We roll the dice, and we play your game!~**

 **(*Transitioning to the city square, we see Enter standing on a rooftop. Waving his arm, he orders a battalion of Buglars to attack the Rangers, locking eyes with Graham, who is visibly angry. Clenching his fist as the Avatar warps away, Graham brandishes his morpher, transforming into Buster Red and prompting the others to follow suite.*)**

 **~We complicate, show us the way,**

 **Before it's too late, and the whole thing breaks~**

 **(*Together, the five leap into action. Colin uses his superstrength to smash his way through the robotic footsoldiers, while Shawn shoots them with his Morphin' Blaster, using his hyper-detection in order to prevent anyone from being flanked*)**

 **~We have a name, we all create,**

 **Everything else, the mistakes we make!~**

 **(*Meanwhile, Colleen uses her superagility to evade the Buglars, as she guns them down with her Spy-Blaster. The ones she misses try to get away, but they are cut down by Nate using his Drive Blade.*)**

 **~We'll make a change, we'll concentrate,**

 **Before we suffocate!~**

 **(*Using his superspeed, Graham skips right past the Buglars and heads straight for the Metaloid, delivering a swift punch to its jaw before kneeing it in the chest. He then attempts to roundhouse kick the robot, but it grabs his foot and tosses him aside, causing the Red Ranger to land on his back.*)**

 **~Can't hold this in, and keep it quiet any longer!**

 **I've fallen in, and now this feeling's getting stronger!~**

 **(*We transition to another scene, where an unmorphed Graham can be seen falling through an endless sky. Reaching his hand out, he tries to scream, but finds he is unable to speak.*)**

 **~You take my breath away!~**

 **(*Falling into the darkness, Graham tries to scream once more, to no avail. Suddenly, he shoots up out of bed, revealing this to have been a nightmare*)**

 **~Now I'm trying to get up, I'm trying to retrace,**

 **My steps back, to wherever I messed up!~**

 **(*Back at the battle, a still-morphed Graham struggles to his feet, summoning his Spy-Saber. Rushing towards the Metaloid, he attempts to slash at it, but it repeatedly evades his attacks, annoying the Red Ranger to no end.*)**

 **~Is forever enough?**

 **I'm holding on!~**

 **(*We transition back to the nightmare, this time starting from the beginning. Inside the void, Graham is hanging off of a cliff, and is about to fall. Standing at the top is Colleen, who reaches out to him, attempting to pull him up.*)**

 **~I know you'll be there,**

 **Whenever I wake up!~**

 **(*Graham succeeds in grabbing her hand, but he accidentally pulls her further down the cliff edge. Realizing she'll fall with him if he doesn't let go, Graham rips his hand away, falling down the cliff while screaming her name. Waking up from the nightmare once more, the Red Ranger takes a series of shallow breaths, calming himself down as the song comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, that's all for now! Sorry for the shorter length, I tried to make this one as long as I could but I couldn't really justify extending it beyond what I felt to be the natural stopping point. But hey, at least you're getting two episodes this month instead of just one! Lol. And the next one will be a lot longer, I can assure you.

Anyway, I don't really have much else to say. No episode preview this time so I'll just cap this off by saying I hope you enjoyed! Be sure to review with any thoughts, criticisms, or comments you may have, I love reading your guys' feedback! Peace out :)


	20. Announcement

Hey everyone, this is Graham. Just wanted to give you guys a quick heads up regarding the future of Spy-Busters and my fanfiction page as a whole.

Now, before you freak out, I am _**NOT**_ giving up on Spy-Busters, nor do I ever intend to cancel it. I hate to sound dramatic, but I've poured my literal heart and soul into this incarnation of the story, and I am determined to see it through to the end. That being said, there are some changes that need to be made. I'm gonna be honest, here: ever since I started this story, I've been in a sort of rush to get it done because I didn't want it to take longer than a year or two. Don't get me wrong, I've made sure to take my time where it's counted in order to maintain the quality of the story, but ever since the beginning there have been some things relating to it that I've sorta forced myself to rush in order to meet this imaginary deadline in my head. If we're being totally and one hundred percent honest, this habit of mine became even worse after the announcement that Saban was going back to adapt Go-Busters as Beast Morphers.

Now, I know this is going to sound _incredibly_ silly, but when I heard about this, I guess I got...idk, jealous? It's weird, because I'm a fanfic writer, and obviously Spy-Busters is just a fanfic at the end of the day. Sure, people may read it and enjoy it and sure, I may take great joy in writing it, but when it comes down to it, the cast of characters I'm creating and the world I'm creating for them to inhabit is ultimately fanon. Saban has no idea Spy-Busters exists, and neither does Hasbro. They're just trying to make money, they're not adapting Go-Busters to compete with me. I mean, why would they? But when they announced they were going back, idk, I guess I got kind of protective. The whole reason I started Spy-Busters in the first place was because I love Go-Busters and I was really upset that they skipped it, so I wanted to prove that it could make a good season. This might sound a bit immature, but when I thought about Beast Morphers becoming the _official_ adaptation, it kinda made me want to finish Spy-Busters before Beast Morphers could air so that, idk, people who read my version would see it as better in some way? I know, it's really silly.

Anyway, long story short, I've been rushing to get Spy-Busters finished before 2019, which is something that I now realize isn't going to happen, or at least its highly unlikely. I keep getting stuck on chapters, and even when I don't get stuck they still take at least a month or two for me to finish. At this rate, there's no possible way that I'll finish Spy-Busters by the time that Beast Morphers airs. So I'm not going to, plain and simple. From this point on, I'm gonna stop trying to compete with a company that isn't even aware of my existence, and I'm just gonna focus on writing a good story. A well-written story. But most importantly, a _complete_ story, that isn't ruined by me rushing it for absolutely no reason.

So, here's the plan going forward. Right now I'm sort of stuck on Episode 20, and now that I've thought about it, I kinda need to take some time to iron out some of the finer details regarding the second half. So that's what I'm gonna do. From this point on, consider Spy-Busters as sort of being "on hold". It's not a hiatus; it's _definitely_ going to come back, I just don't know when. I need some time to sit down and go over what I have planned to see if it needs any improvement. I learned from the introduction of Tanner as the sixth ranger that when you don't stop and think for a bit about how you outline things in a story, you can wind up taking a bit of a misstep that could've been easily corrected. I wanna take the time to do it right, so I am.

On another note, I've also been kind of procrastinating/putting some other things in my life off to the side in favor of primarily focusing on stories, the biggest example being learning how to drive. I turned nineteen nearly six months ago, and I am still nowhere near even taking my temps test. I really need to step it up and start acting like an adult...so I will.

I know this has been kind of long-winded, but it's the only way I really know how to properly explain myself, so...sorry, I guess? Just to recap, I am _**NOT**_ canceling Spy-Busters; it is just on-hold for the foreseeable future while I iron a lot of the details in the second half of the story out and work on finally getting my license, which is something I should have done a long, _long_ time ago. I'm kind of embarrassed it's taken me this long to finally put my foot down, but hey, at least I'm taking a stand at all. Like I said earlier, I'm almost nineteen and a half years old, and I need to start acting like it. I'm an adult, and that doesn't mean I can't have any fun-but it does mean that I need to start putting more important things first and things like fanfiction, anime, and videogames second. Hopefully you guys'll understand.

Thanks for sticking with the story, ya'll! I promise I'll return to finish it eventually!


	21. Announcement 2: Electric Boogaloo

Hey, everybody! Graham here, back with some exciting news!

As you're all aware, this story was put on a temporary hiatus towards the end of July so that I could focus on getting my driver's license (I'm getting closer, btw. I just got my permit a couple weeks ago) while also carefully outlining the second half of the story in order to iron out some of the details and solidify my plans.

Well, consider the hiatus officially lifted! That's right! I've finished outlining the remaining chapters of the story, so now, I'm ready to return to Spy-Busters with brand new episodes coming soon!

How soon? Well, I'm not sure. See, NaNoWriMo is literally a couple of days away, and this year I'm going to be participating by writing an original novel. That means that most of my free time in November will be spent working on said novel, but I will work on Spy-Busters here and there if I can.

Once I actually post Episode 20, I hope to move to a weekly or biweekly upload schedule; since all of the episodes are now outlined in detail, I should probably be able to breeze through writing them without getting stuck. Still, though, I'm not confident enough in myself to make any promises just yet; you may not know it, but I am a _notorious_ procrastinator.

Anywhoo, this has been kinda long-winded, but I just wanted to let you guys know that new episodes are on their way. Stay tuned for Episode 20, it should be out within the next two months or so! Bye for now!


	22. Ep 20: Pink Light

**A/N:** Hollllllllly crap, this chapter was a beast!

Seriously, even after extensively outlining every scene and intimate detail of this episode, it still took me _ages_ to finish. For a while there I almost thought I was never gonna finish it, but I managed to pull through.

Fair warning-this is a long one. It's not full of padding though, trust me-there are some pretty big developments going on so you don't wanna skip this one. Anyway, enough rambling, onto the actual chapter.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a fanmade, non-profit adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I do, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

" _Sonia...hey, Sonia?"_

Fluttering her baby blue eyes open as she regained consciousness, eighteen year old Sonia Shields adjusted her black-framed glasses and looked up at the person standing above her, a tall and slender Japanese-American woman with long black hair and amber eyes. She was wearing some sort of earpiece/microphone combo in her ear, and in addition to this, she was carrying a clipboard in her hands. After a few seconds of fogginess, Sonia recognized this woman as Saki, the chief intern and right hand man of her manager, Mr. Henderson.

"Oh, hey, Saki," Sonia said somewhat foggily, rubbing her head. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to see if you were okay," Saki told her. "You've been whimpering and screaming in your sleep for the past half hour or so, are you feeling alright?"

"Oh yeah, of course..." Sonia said rather quickly, rubbing her arm as if she were hiding something. "Just tired, I guess. It was probably just a nightmare, I haven't gotten enough sleep, lately."

"I feel you there," Saki said with a laugh. "The good news is, this is the last stop of the tour, so after this concert we're pretty much home-bound for LA. Anyway, Eddie sent me to get you, the show starts in ten minutes."

"Oh, okay. Tell him I'll be right out."

"Alright." Saki replied. With that, she turned to leave, saying, "See you later,"

"See you later," Sonia echoed, giving the older girl a fake smile. Once she was gone, she immediately scowled. " _I don't know how much longer I can do this..._ _is_ _there any more to life than this?"_

Hopping up off of the couch she was sitting on, Sonia made her way over to the mirror. There, she proceeded to look herself over, making sure that her hair was in order and that her makeup hadn't smeared or anything like that. After all, she was about to go onstage, and she had to look _perfect_.

" _I really don't feel very well..."_ Sonia mumbled. " _Oh well, it's like they say. Show must go on, right?"_

Taking in a deep breath, the teenage popstar exhaled said breath; she then turned to leave, making her way out of her dressing room and into the backstage area.

Spotting her from across the room, her manager Mr. Henderson said, "Hey, there you are! Are you feeling alright, Sonia? Saki says you were having a nightmare or something."

"Yeah, it was nothing. I'm just tired, that's all," Sonia lied.

Overhearing this, a studious-looking African-American man in white scrubs approached the two and said, "It's probably because you're not getting enough rest. Come see me after the show, I'll prescribe you something to help you sleep better."

"Um, alright, sure. Thanks, Dr. Peters." Sonia said awkwardly, dismissing her personal physician.

Placing his hand on her shoulder, Eddie said, "Well, it's about that time, Sonia. Ready to head out onstage?"

"...Yeah." Sonia said with a nod, trying her best to hide her reluctance.

* * *

"...anyway, thanks for coming out, everybody." Said the stand-up comedian that had acted as the preshow act for the concert, as he wrapped up his routine and began making his way off the stage. "You guys have been great!"

As the comedian made his way backstage, Eddie took his place at the mic and said, "Alright, that was...um, I actually can't remember his name off the top of my head to be honest. It's been a long tour, folks."

This elicited a bit of light laughter from the crowd. Waiting until it died down, Eddie continued to address the fans via the mic.

"Anyway, whatever his name was, he was great. However, we all know he's not who you came out to see." Eddie began. "Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for the one! The only! Sonnnnnnia….Shields!"

"What's up, Angel Grove?!" Sonia hollered from her own earpiece mic, as she walked out onstage, waving to the crowd with a large smile on her face. "You guys ready?!"

Hearing a roar of applause, Sonia added, "Alright, then, let's do this! First song we're gonna play is one of my new favorites. Who wants to hear my hit single Dark Valentine?"

This received even more applause-the fans were literally wrapped around her finger at this point.

With the introductions done and over with, the main concert began to get underway. Eddie made his way backstage and queued up the music, and Sonia began to sing her first song, pouring her heart and soul into the lyrics as the crowd went wild. During the first and second verses, everything seemed to be going great-it was the perfect end to a perfect tour.

However, fate had something in store that day. Something that no one could have seen coming…

 _I really don't feel so good…_ Sonia thought to herself, taking a deep breath as she prepared to sing the final verse of the song. _My head feels really foggy._ _And I might just be crazy, but I feel kinda weightless-_

"LOOK OUT!" A voice screamed from the crowd, prompting Sonia to look up just in time to see a loose stage-light come out of its socket and hurtle down towards her. Realizing what was happening, she tried to dive out of the way, but found that her legs wouldn't budge-she was too scared to move.

Holding her arms in front of her face, Sonia squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the inevitable. However, what she was anticipating did not come to pass-she did not die.

Lowering her arms and opening her eyes, the girl looked around at her surroundings, quickly noticing that they were not the same as before.

" _What the…? How did I get up here…?"_ She asked herself, realizing she was several hundred feet above the stage. Looking down, she almost didn't believe what she saw-there was nothing below her to hold her up, yet she wasn't falling. Instead, she was standing perfectly still. Looking down at her arms, she noticed they had a bright pink outline, almost as if her body was being covered by an aura of energy.

" _What's...happening to me?"_ Sonia asked, as the fans below her panicked and ran out of the building.

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Ghosts in the Water" by Arrows to Athens***

 **(*The music of the song begins to play, as the camera rapidly pans over Starview Heights. Then, out of nowhere, it comes to a sudden halt at a rooftop, where Graham can be seen observing a battle down below. The vocals of the song begin, as Graham continues to watch, his face full of uncertainty and despair.*)**

 _ **~At the edge of the Earth, now**_

 _ **I've never seen this place before.~**_

 **(*We flash to a downtown city street that has been ravaged by a Vaglass attack; Graham and the other Rangers are slowing making their way through it, observing the damage that has been done with sorrowful looks in their eyes. Kneeling down and picking up a charred teddy bear seemingly abandoned by a child in a hurry, Tanner lets out a sad sigh.*)**

 _ **~The ghosts in the water,**_

 _ **Waiting for dark before pulling us under.~**_

 **(*Meanwhile, Nate and Shawn are in the middle of fighting a battalion of Buglars, when they suddenly lose the advantage, resulting in them becoming surrounded. As Graham and the others look on in pure horror, the Gold and Silver Rangers are pulled into a literal ocean of the footsoldiers, screaming in agony as they are seemingly ripped apart. Suddenly, Graham shoots up out of bed, revealing it to have only been a nightmare.*)**

 _ **~Below is a wasteland,**_

 _ **With stories of empires underground.~**_

 **(*Inside Hyperspace, Colleen finds the ruins of the GPU's old Headquarters, which was destroyed on the day Psycho went rampant. Spotting a piece of plastic on the ground, she picks it up, discovering it to be the weathered remains of Professor Miles' ID badge. Out of nowhere, a decayed and rotting corpse lunges at her from the ground, only for her to wake up from what turns out to have also been a nightmare.*)**

 _ **~Did we crawl to salvation,**_

 _ **Make it this far just to bank our way back down?~**_

 **(*Back in the real world, the Rangers are in an intense unmorphed-fight with a Metaloid, and the odds are heavily stacked against them. Struggling back to their feet, the six brandish their morphers and activate them, transforming into their Ranger forms before charging back into battle.*)**

 _ **~Cuz this is a fight to break the silence,**_

 _ **These are the lies we make to try to hold ourselves up, now!~**_

 **(*Graham continues to lead his team as they take on a newly summoned batch of Buglars, who have assembled to guard the Metaloid they are fighting. Seeing brief glimpses of his mother in the back of mind, Graham brushes them off, not letting them distract him as he keeps on fighting.*)**

 _ **~The pull of the tide is always quiet,**_

 _ **But this is a fight to take one more breath before we drown!~**_

 **(*Using a combined finisher, the Rangers take out the Metaloid, which Enter subsequently revives, enabling said Metaloid to pilot the giant robot that is then sent from Hyperspace. Summoning their Zords, they form the Artillery Rush in order to fight it. Seeing this, Enter simply scoffs, turning away as the scene fades from view and the logo of the show appears; the song ends moments later as the opening comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Opening Theme: "Ghosts in the Water" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 20: Pink Light**

It had been a couple of days since the Rangers' first encounter with Escape. Ever since that day, it seemed as if the six had spent every single moment of their free time at HQ training; this day was no exception. Graham and the others had arrived first thing in the morning, and they had spent the entire morning and were now going well into the afternoon, honing their skills inside HQ's various training decks.

In order to push themselves to their limits, each Ranger had chosen the teammate that they felt would pose the greatest challenge to them, and vice-versa. After that, the three pairs of Rangers each decided on a method of training that would provide the greatest level of challenge to their specific skill sets and Metahuman powers; Graham and Nate had partnered up, and now they were inside Training Deck 001 playing a game of soccer.

" _Alright, this time I'm gonna get it."_ Graham said to himself. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he bounced the soccer ball with his feet for a few seconds before kicking it towards the goal, which Nate was standing in front of as the goalie. Using his superspeed, he dashed after the ball, intending to break Nate's defense and get it inside the goal.

Catching up with the ball just as it began to lose momentum, Graham charged his right foot with energy before delivering a superspeed-powered kick. Sliding to a halt, he watched with a smirk as the ball soared towards the goal, engulfed by a bright red aura that heavily resembled fire.

Seeing this, Nate began to panic slightly. Squeezing his eyes shut, he focused all of his energy into his telekinesis. By some miracle, he was able to deflect the ball; however, this action sapped him of all his strength, causing him to fall to his knees. Meanwhile, the ball changed course and began hurtling back towards Graham, who attempted to dodge it but to no avail. Ultimately, it hit the Red Ranger right in the torso, sending him tumbling onto the ground.

Somehow maintaining consciousness despite the amount of energy he'd used up, Nate forced himself up to his feet. Seeing that the lenses on his glasses were rather blurry, he removed them and gently rubbed them on his gray tank top before placing them back onto his face.

"Man, we're bad at this..." He said, to which Graham laughed a little despite himself.

Standing back up and dusting off his dark red shorts, Graham replied, "We really are...anyway, let's go again."

"Right," Nate nodded in agreement, and together the two continued their game of soccer.

* * *

 _Training Deck 002-Colin and Tanner_

"Alright," Banana began as he stood in-between Colin and Tanner; all three of them were standing inside of a large boxing ring. Raising his left arm, the Buddy-Roid said, "Three...two...one...go!"

Lowering his arm before making his way off to the side of the ring, Banana turned and watched as Colin and Tanner slowly stepped towards one-another.

Raising their gloved fists and taking a fighting stance, the two began to face off, using their Metahuman powers in tandem with their natural fighting prowess in order to box eachother.

Using his quick reflexes to block a jab from Colin, Tanner gave the Blue Ranger a cocky smirk and said, "Nice try, CV, but no dice. Try again,"

"Why don't you worry about yourself?" Colin replied, giving the boy an arrogant smile of his own. Retracting his right fist, he then added, "After all, your defense has always been...a little sloppy!"

Charging all of his energy into his left fist, Colin delivered a sudden uppercut out of nowhere. Noticing the incoming attack _just_ in the nick of time, Tanner used his superspeed to veer off to the left; thanks to this maneuver, he narrowly dodged the uppercut.

Stepping back towards the ropes, the Green Ranger reeled back his fist before charging forward, preparing to throw a devastating punch Colin's way. Seeing this, Colin reeled back his own fist and thrust it forward, hoping to counter Tanner's punch with one of his own. As their fists neared eachother, the two let out a battle cry-they were giving this their all.

Within seconds, Tanner's fist had slammed into Colin's torso and vice-versa. Punching with all their might, both boys successfully managed to knock the other off their feet. Falling down to the mat, they each inhaled deeply before exhaling-that bout had taken a lot out of them.

Having watched all of this from the sidelines, Banana rushed over to his human counterpart and said, "Colin, are you alright?! You pushed yourself too hard, what have I told you about that?"

" _Yeah, yeah, I hear ya..."_ Colin muttered, grimacing in slight pain as he struggled back up to his feet.

"I'm with Banana. You need to know your limits, Colin." Ribbit chimed in from her perch atop one of the ring-posts. Turning her attention to Tanner, she continued by saying, "And you. Colin's right, dummy. You really need to work on blocking."

"Dummy?" Tanner questioned, forcing himself up to his feet before looking at his Buddy-Roid and furrowing his eyebrows slightly. "C'mon, Ribbit, isn't that a little harsh?"

"It's called tough love, kid." Ribbit told him. "I only dish it out because I know you can take it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tanner replied, brushing her off.

"Ready to go again?" Colin asked, prompting the Green Ranger to turn around in order to face him.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Tanner said with a shrug. Raising his fists in front of his face, he said, "Bring it on, CV!"

* * *

 _Training Deck 003-Colleen and Shawn_

"Alright Shawn, it's your serve!"

Gripping his racket tightly in his right hand while tossing the tennis ball he and Colleen were using up and down with his left, Shawn replied, "Right!...But wait, what's the score, again?"

"That's...a good question," Colleen replied, scratching her head a bit as she looked around in confusion. "Uh...I think I lost track?"

"Well that's unfortunate..." Shawn sighed.

Watching them from the sidelines, Lettuce cleared his throat and said, "Would you two just play? Why keep score? This is just training. You're not at Wimbledon, here!"

"That _is_ a fair point," Colleen replied. Turning to Shawn, she nodded at him before saying, "Your serve, Shawn."

"Alright then!" Shawn hollered, tossing the ball into the air. Reeling back his racket, he slammed it into the ball, sending it flying towards Colleen's side of the court.

Watching the ball as it flew over her head, the Yellow Ranger used her superagility to vault into the air. Raising her racket, she swung it at the ball with all her might, sending it flying back towards Shawn's side of the court.

Hitting the floor, the ball bounced back up and hurtled up towards the ceiling, building up an incredibly amount of momentum as it did so. Bouncing off of the ceiling, it began to bounce all across the court, picking up more and more speed with every passing second. It was like the ball had a mind of its own!

Rebounding against the floor as it continued to gain momentum, the ball cascaded upwards, hurtling towards one of the large flood lights that illuminated the room. The glass shattered on contact and splintered off in multiple directions; sensing this with his hyper-detection, Shawn dove out of the way, warning Colleen with a, "Look out!"

Cartwheeling out of the way of the incoming glass, Colleen looked up at the broken light, looked back down at the pile of broken glass, and looked back up at the light again. Rubbing the back of her neck in slight embarrassment, the girl let out an awkward, "My bad..."

Catching the ball as it slowed back down and fell to the floor, Shawn bounced it lightly in his palm as he replied with, "Mind if we take a break? I'm getting kinda hungry,"

Nodding in agreement, Colleen followed him out of the training room, leaving Lettuce to shake his head and mutter under his breath, saying, " _Kids,"_

* * *

While all of this was going on, a secret meeting was taking place in Captain Shields' office. Sliding into the small room and shutting the door behind him, Lieutenant Woods took a seat next to his wife. Sitting across from them behind his desk was Captain Shields, who waited for a few moments while the two Lieutenants got situated. To his right, Professor Tennet stood with an anxious look on her face. In her right hand, she was holding a metal briefcase.

"You wanted to meet us, sir?" Martin asked, to which his commanding officer nodded.

Clearing his throat, Logan said, "Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice, you two. I know it's been a really busy day with paperwork and such, but there's something we need to discuss."

"And what would that be, Captain?" Alicia asked respectfully.

"It's about Escape...namely, how we're going to deal with her." Captain Shields began. "See, we really didn't expect Psycho to go and make another Avatar. It's something we probably should have seen coming, but the upper brass is fairly shocked nonetheless. Up until now they've had a fair amount of faith in our Rangers, but now they're not so sure six Rangers are enough."

"We're adding another Ranger?" Martin questioned. " _Again?"_

"Indeed we are," Logan confirmed. Turning to Professor Tennet, he added, "Care to show them what you've got there, doc?"

"Gladly," Professor Tennet said with a slight bow of her head. Lifting up the briefcase, she set it on the desk and opened it up, revealing a device identical to Tanner's morpher-a Morphin Brace V2. Removing it carefully from its velvet groove, she held it up for the two Lieutenants to see before saying, "This is the morpher for Buster Pink, the seventh member of the Spy-Buster team. Whomever ends up using this will also command a new Zord-the Owl Zord, to be exact."

 _Yippee, a new Zord project._ Lieutenant Woods thought to himself somewhat sarcastically, a light scowl forming on his face. _As if I wasn't tired enough, already…_

Tilting her head with a look of curiosity on her face, Lieutenant Rose spoke up, saying "If you don't mind me asking, Captain, who exactly will we be recruiting to use this morpher? After all, most of the Metahumans who are strong enough to handle becoming a Ranger have already joined the team."

"That's an excellent question, Lieutenant. We _are_ starting to run out of potential candidates. In fact, part of the reason I called you two in here was to see if you had any suggestions."

"For real?" Lieutenant Woods replied somewhat incredulously. "With all due respect, sir, Metahuman studies are your expertise. If you don't know any Metas that are qualified, I certainly don't."

"I think I may an idea, sir." Professor Tennet said, gaining Logan's attention. "I've done some extensive research on existing Ranger teams, and from what I could gather, several of them have members who have very similar traits to those of a Metahuman. Namely, they have extraordinary abilities beyond that of their Ranger powers."

"Are you suggesting that we recruit a former Ranger?"

" _Precisely."_ The Professor replied with a simple nod. "In fact, I already have one in mind-Kira Ford."

"Kira Ford? Like, the _famous singer_ Kira Ford?" Lieutenant Woods replied in slight disbelief. " _She's_ a former Ranger?!"

"Affirmative, Lieutenant. As a teenager, Ms. Ford served as the Yellow Ranger of Power Rangers: Dino Thunder."

"Huh,"

"Huh indeed. As I was saying, Kira is one of several former Rangers that has extra powers on top of the abilities provided to them by the Morphing Grid. Namely, she has the power to emit supersonic sound-waves from her mouth."

"So she's Black Canary?"

"...Yes, Martin. I _suppose_ Kira could be considered a real-world counterpart to Black Canary," Professor Tennet replied, fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the Lieutenant's comic book reference. "Anyway, because of this ability, Kira's body is more than likely able to withstand the energy output by our morphers' technology. This combined with her previous experience makes her more than qualified to become the Pink Ranger, despite not being a Metahuman in the traditional sense."

Leaning towards his wife, Martin whispered in her ear, saying, " _She's also already been bird-themed, so it would be kinda fitting."_

"Indeed, it would be very fitting." The Professor replied rather sharply, having overheard his comment. Turning to the Captain, she said, "What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea. The war with the Vaglass is going to get a lot tougher, and our Rangers could definitely benefit from the wisdom of a veteran." Captain Shields pointed out. "We'll need to get in touch with her, of course. Lieutenant Woods, do you think you can look up her-"

"No need," Professor Tennet said, cutting him off. "I already have her and her former teammates' contact information, addresses, and frequented establishments on file."

This earned her a strange look from the three GPU officers in the room. Shrugging her shoulders, she replied, "What? I'm very thorough in my research."

" _If we ever retire, remind me to check the house for cameras,"_ Lieutenant Woods jokingly whispered to his wife, who elbowed him lightly in the side.

Standing up from his desk chair, Captain Shields clasped his hands together and said, "It's settled then. I'll contact Ms. Ford as soon as possible and offer her the Ranger position. Dismissed."

* * *

 _One Week Later…_

"So...you're telling me she actually said _yes?"_

Letting out a light chuckle, Captain Shields looked to Lieutenant Woods and said, "That is correct, Martin. Ms. Ford is on her way here right now. We paid to fly her out here and two of our cadets are headed to the airport to pick her up as we speak."

"When are you gonna tell the others?" The Lieutenant questioned.

"As soon as she arrives, actually. I've already asked them to meet me here, so they should be here any minute."

"Recognized: Graham, B-06."

"Recognized: Colin, B-04."

"Recognized: Colleen, B-05."

"Recognized: Nate, B-07."

"Recognized: Shawn, B-08."

"Recognized: Tanner, B-09."

"Right on time," Captain Shields said with a smile. Turning his attention to Lieutenant Rose, he addressed her by saying, "Alicia, go tell them to wait in the Common Area. I'll come get them as soon as Kira is here."

"Roger that." Lieutenant Rose replied with a salute, exiting the room in order to follow the Captain's order.

Turning back towards Lieutenant Woods, Captain Shields addressed him by saying, "You can just stay in here, Martin. I still have a couple more reports for you to fill out."

"More paperwork?" The Lieutenant immaturely squelched. Sinking deeper into his chair, he groaned, "Man, you've gotta be kidding me…"

Stifling a laugh, Captain Shields turned towards his desk and pulled out his own chair, preparing to sit in it. However, before he could do so, he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, accompanied by the sound of his ringtone. Realizing his phone was ringing, he pulled it out of his pocket to see that it was none other than his daughter Sonia.

Smiling at the sight, the Captain immediately answered, lifting the phone up to his ear before saying, "Hey, pumpkin! What's up?"

"Dad, can you come pick me up?" Sonia asked from the other end of the line, her voice rather serious. "I'm at the airport, the plane just landed."

"Airport? You flew home?" Captain Shields asked in slight confusion, his smile shifting into a bit of a frown. "I thought you had a few recording sessions scheduled for this week."

"I did, but...well, they're not happening anymore." Sonia told him. "It's a long story. Can you please come pick me up? I'm at Olivet-Skyline, Gate B-7."

"Olivet-Skyline?" Captain Shields questioned. "That's in Atlanta, why didn't your manager fly you out to Starview Heights like he usually does?"

"Mr. Henderson didn't set up the flight, I did." Sonia explained. "Look, I'll explain everything later, just please come pick me up."

"Alright." Captain Shields told her, grabbing a pen and a notepad off of his desk and scribbling down the gate number she had given him. Ripping out the page he'd just written on, he folded it neatly and placed it into his pocket before saying, "I'll be there as soon as I can, sweetie. Love you."

"Love you too, Dad." Sonia replied, hanging up.

Looking up at the Captain, Lieutenant Woods said, "What that was all about?"

"Oh, that?" Captain Shields asked, gesturing to his phone as he slipped it back into his other pocket. "That was Sonia, she flew to Atlanta for some reason and needs me to go pick her up. You don't mind staying here and showing Kira around until I get back, do you?"

"Absolutely not!" Lieutenant Woods said a little too quickly, hopping up out of his chair. "Anything to get out of all that paperwork!"

Blinking a bit, Captain Shields said, "...Martin I hate to break this to you, but that paperwork is really important, you still have to do it."

" _Dammit,"_

Stifling a laugh, Logan scooped his keys off of his desk and headed for the door. "See you in a bit, Lieutenant."

With that, he exited the Command Room, pocketing his keys before turning to head down the hall towards the elevator. However, before he could get very far, he heard something that caused him to stop in his tracks.

"You wanted to see us, Captain?"

Turning around, Captain Shields saw Graham, who had gotten out of his seat and made his way into the hallway upon spotting him. The other five quickly followed suite, hopping up out of their seats and walking over to join their leader. Finally, Lieutenant Rose made her way over, appearing as if she were attempting to corral the teens back into the Common Area. Unfortunately for her, they didn't seem to be paying her any mind.

Clearing his throat, Captain Shields replied with, "Yes, Graham. I have something I need to discuss with you five, but unfortunately, something else has come up. I'll need to take care of it first, so if you guys could just wait right here, that would be great."

"What is it?" Tanner asked. "Some kind of emergency?"

"I...suppose it's _kind of_ an emergency, yes." Captain Shields said somewhat awkwardly. "I uh, just got a call from my daughter Sonia. She flew home early for some reason, and now I need to go pick her up from the airport."

His eyes lighting up at the mere mention of Sonia, Colin said, "Can Colleen and I come?"

"Uh, yeah, of course." Logan replied, sounding as if he hadn't expected this for whatever reason. "You guys are basically family, after all."

"Can we come, too?" Shawn asked out of nowhere, causing Nate to give him a weird look. Noticing this, the Silver Ranger continued with, "What?"

"Why would _we_ go, Shawn?" Nate questioned. "We don't even know Sonia."

" _Exactly!_ Don't you wanna meet her?!" Shawn replied. "I mean, she's famous!"

"I don't know, Shawn..." Lieutenant Rose began. "She probably already deals with fans wanting to meet her at the airport all the time, I don't think it'd be very polite to barge in on her like that. Besides, how would you even get there? The Captain drives a car, not a greyhound bus."

"Please…?" Shawn pleaded, clasping his hands together as if he were praying.

"...Shawn, you're eighteen years old. _"_ Alicia admonished, shaking her head at her adoptive son's behavior. "You are too old to give me the puppy-dog eyes, that is just absu-"

" _Please_?" Shawn reiterated, jutting his bottom lip out a bit for extra emphasis.

"…I suppose so," Alicia relented, letting out a bit of a sigh. Turning to the Captain, she said, "I guess the boys wanna go, also. Would you mind if I followed you to the airport?"

"I don't see why not," Logan said with a shrug. Turning to Graham and Tanner, he said, "What about you guys? You wanna come too?"

"Sure, why not? Sounds like fun." Graham replied. "I mean, I met her at the New Year's Eve party we had last year, but I didn't really introduce myself or anything."

"I guess it's settled then. Colin and Colleen, you'll ride with me." Turning to the other four Rangers, Logan added, "You four will be riding with Alicia. Sound good?"

With that, they headed out, taking the elevator to the secret parking garage where Captain Shields and the other GPU officers and cadets parked their cars. Loading up into two different vehicles, the group made their way back into town, where they navigated the main roads until they reached the highway. There, they began making their way over to Atlanta.

* * *

Within an hour or so, they reached the airport. Pulling up to the main building, Captain Shields slowed his car to a halt, putting it in park as Lieutenant Rose pulled her car right up behind his. Both drivers put their vehicles in park before opening the doors and getting out. The Rangers quickly followed suite, and together, both groups gathered on the sidewalk.

Reaching into his pocket and pulling out the note he'd written on earlier, Captain Shields scanned it quickly for information before putting it away. Gesturing to the others, he said, "She'll be at Gate B-7. This way,"

Leading them through the airport, the Captain paid close attention to his surroundings, using the various signs in tandem with the occasional directory to find his way to Terminal B. Following him up a flight of stairs, Lieutenant Rose and the Rangers stopped at the top.

Spotting them from a nearby chair, Sonia lit up. Without warning, Colin and Colleen burst away from the others and ran up to the girl, who similarly burst up from her seat, crushing the two in a gigantic hug.

"Guys!" She chirped, breaking the hug to look at the two before hugging them again. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, sis!" Colleen said, smiling at Sonia after she broke the hug for good. "We both really missed you- _especially_ Colin."

" _Shutup!"_ Colin whispered sharply, elbowing his sister in the side. Faking a cough to hide his growing blush, he turned to Sonia before saying, "I'm glad you're home. How long are you in town for?"

"I'm...not sure," Sonia said rather weirdly, her cheerful demeanor breaking for a brief second. Quickly regaining her composure, she continued with, "To be honest, I'm just glad I finally have some time off. Who are all those people standing with Dad and Alicia?"

"Oh, them?" Colin asked, gesturing towards his red, gold, silver, and green counterparts. "Those are our fellow Rangers. Here, I'll introduce you."

With that, he walked back over to the others, gesturing for Sonia to follow. Seeing this, the girl obliged, crossing the room before watching intently as he introduced them.

Slapping Nate and Shawn lightly on the back, Colin said, "These guys are Nate and Shawn, they're our Gold and Silver Rangers. They're also Alicia's adopted sons, she and Martin took them on a stakeout where they had to pose as a family a few months back and turns out they actually fit the mold a little too well. Anyway, say hi, guys."

"Hi, Sonia." Nate said politely. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Nate." Sonia replied. Turning to Shawn, she added, "And you as well, Shawn."

"Shawn? She knows my name?" Shawn questioned, clearly having zoned out a little. Pumping his fist, he said, "WOOHOO! A FAMOUS PERSON KNOWS MY NAME!"

"Dude, cool it!" Nate chided. "Sheesh, sometimes it's like you're still a little kid...no offense, Tanner."

"None taken," Tanner said with a shrug. Holding out his hand towards Sonia, he said, "Hey Sonia, I'm Tanner."

Shaking his hand, Sonia replied, "It's nice to meet you, Tanner. Which color Ranger are you?"

Pointing at the green jacket Tanner was wearing, Shawn sarcastically quipped, "Guess,"

"Don't be rude," Colin admonished, lightly slugging Shawn on the arm.

"Oww..." Shawn whined, rubbing the spot Colin had hit. "Jeez, why is everyone on my case today?"

Rolling her eyes, Colleen looked to Sonia and said, "Anyway, the only one left to introduce is Graham. He's our Red Ranger, and he's also Tanner's older brother."

"Hey, Sonia. It's nice to see you again," Graham said, politely waving to the girl.

"Yeah, we met at that New Year's Eve party. I remember." Sonia said with a smile. Turning back to Colleen, she whispered in her ear, saying, " _I remember him being a lot scrawnier,_ _too._ _H_ _ave you noticed how muscular he is?"_

" _Oh, she's noticed."_ Colin teased, causing Colleen's face to immediately begin glowing bright pink.

" _Go away!"_ She squeaked, lightly shoving her twin.

Stifling a laugh, Sonia regained her surrogate sister's attention before saying, " _Don't worry sis, your secret's safe with me. Also, I approve."_

This caused Colleen to blush even harder, so she started staring at her shoes in the hopes that no one would notice.

Seeing that she acting strangely, Graham said, "Hey, is something wrong?"

"W-W-Wrong?" Colleen sputtered, avoiding his gaze. "N-Nope, nothing w-wrong here, nothing at a-all..."

"Okkkkkkkay then..." Graham said somewhat awkwardly. Turning to Sonia, he gestured towards her bags, saying, "Need any help with those, Soni-"

"Already on it," Colin said, taking most of Sonia's heavier bags before Graham could even finish his sentence. Managing to carry the bags without even breaking a sweat, he looked to the others and said, "Let's go to the car."

Letting out a light chuckle at the sight of this, Captain Shields shrugged his shoulders and said, "You heard the man. To the parking lot!"

* * *

"So..." Shawn began, as he, Graham and Tanner piled into the backseat of Lieutenant Rose's car. Nate sat in the front passenger's seat. "Do you think she'll give me her autograph?"

"Oh for god's sake," Nate sighed, turning around and leaning forward just enough to flick his adoptive brother on lightly the forehead.

* * *

Waiting until Colin finished loading up all the luggage and got back into the car, Captain Shields started the engine and took it out of park. As he slowly coasted out of the airport parking lot, he turned to Sonia, who was sitting in the passenger's seat.

"So...why'd you come home early?" He asked, prompting Colleen to chime in.

"Yeah, wasn't your tour supposed to last another few days?" The Yellow Ranger questioned. "Did the last few shows get pulled or something?"

"Yeah, something like that..." Sonia said rather emotionlessly. Taking a deep breath, she looked to Colleen before saying, "Actually, I...things have been slowing down, lately. With my career, I mean. So I decided to qu-"

"You quit?" Colin asked, seeming surprised.

"...Yeah, pretty much." Sonia confirmed. Turning to her father, she asked, "You're not mad, are you?"

"Mad? Of course not, how could I be? I'm just a little shocked, that's all." Logan told her. "I thought you were happy."

"I wasn't...unhappy, I just...I don't know, I guess I just got bored." Sonia shrugged. "I mean, I _have_ been doing this since I was twelve. And I had fun, but like...I wanna live a normal life, y'know?"

"I understand, sweetie." Logan told her, giving her a small smile. "Don't worry."

"So...we'll actually get to see you?" Colin asked, his voice sounding oddly timid. "Like, more than just a couple times a year?"

"Yep," Sonia said, turning to look at him before giving him a radiant smile. "From here on out, I'm here to stay!"

Upon hearing this, Colin couldn't help but smile, too. This earned a giggle from Sonia, which in turn caused the Blue Ranger's face to flush slightly. Luckily for the boy, Sonia didn't notice, as she turned back around before this happened.

"Well, it's really good to see you, sweetie. We've all really missed you." Logan told her. "What do you think you'll do now? Are you still interested in music? I know you said you were done with the whole traveling around thing, but what about locally? There are some restaurants in the area that do karaoke on the weekends, I bet you could have some fun with that."

"Maybe. I don't know, I was thinking something bigger. Something that actually helps people." Sonia began. "Hey, I could join the GPU! You're always looking for new cadets, right? Or hey, maybe I could be a Ranger! I'd love to help Colin and Colleen. I mean, they're practically family, it wouldn't feel right for me to sit around town doing nothing while they're off risking their lives every day."

"I...guess you have a point." Captain Shields said rather awkwardly, his cheerful demeanor having disappeared somewhat. Hearing his cellphone ring, he added, "We'll talk about this later, Sonia."

With that, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw that Lieutenant Woods was calling him. Answering the call, he raised the phone to his ear and said, "What's up, Martin? She's here? Alright, understood. Tell her we'll be there soon."

Hanging up the phone, he turned back to Sonia and said, "Hey sweetie? I know you just got back and all, but something's come up at HQ. I hate to do this, but would you mind staying at the apartment by yourself for a little while until I get things taken care of?"

"What is it, dad…?" Sonia questioned, noticing he was acting somewhat strangely. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing, pumpkin. Just some paperwork that needs to be filed," Logan lied. "Look, I promise when we get back we'll have a lot of fun. We can go see a movie, we can go out to eat, anything you want. Can you sit tight until then?"

"I guess..." Sonia told him, sounding a little disappointed.

Speaking up, Colin said, "Logan if you want, I can stay with her. Y'know, keep her company?"

Shaking his head, the Captain replied, "No, I need you at HQ."

"Why? It's just paperwork," Colleen pointed out.

"Yeah, what she said." Sonia echoed. "C'mon daddy, please?"

"...I suppose you have a point there," Logan relented. "Alright Colin, you'll keep Sonia company until I get back-don't go _anywhere_."

"We won't!" Sonia chirped, giving him a quick peck on the cheek as they pulled into the parking lot of their apartment complex. Waiting until her father parked the car and popped the trunk, she opened her door and said, "Thanks daddy!"

With that, Sonia and Colin got out of the car, with the latter going back to the trunk to procure the former's luggage. Shutting the trunk, the Blue Ranger followed Sonia inside, reaching into his pocket in order to procure his spare key.

" _Kids..."_ Logan mumbled to himself, taking the car out of park while keeping his foot firmly on the brake. Turning to look at Colleen, he said, "You ready?"

* * *

" _Alright good, we made it back in time."_ Captain Shields said to himself, checking his watch for the time as he and the others exited HQ's freight elevator and stepped out onto the main floor of the complex. Looking up to see Lieutenant Woods waving at him from the Common Area, he turned to the Rangers and said, "Okay guys, right this way."

With that, he led them into the Common Area, where Lieutenant Woods was standing with Professor Tennet as well as one other person-a tall and slender Caucasian woman appearing to be in her early thirties. She had long, wavy dark blonde hair and brown eyes, and wore a black leather jacket overtop of a light yellow blouse.

Upon seeing her, the Rangers instantly realized that she looked familiar. Recognizing who it was almost immediately, Shawn dashed up to her and said, "You're Kira Ford! You're _the_ Kira Ford!"

"Shawn, heel!" Nate said sharply, prompting his adoptive brother to reluctantly walk back over to the others. Looking to Kira, he said, "Don't mind my brother, he seems to have forgotten his manners at home today."

"Oh, it's fine. I've had way worse fan interactions over the years, trust me." Turning to Captain Shields, Kira said, "So, you're the Captain, correct?"

"Affirmative, Ms. Ford." Captain Shields said politely, giving her a firm handshake. "I'm Captain Logan Shields, and these children here are the Spy-Buster Power Rangers..well, five out of six anyway. Our Blue Ranger had a...previous engagement."

"I see." Kira said with a nod. Turning towards the Rangers, she dipped her head politely and said, "It's very nice to meet you."

"It's...nice to meet you too," Tanner said somewhat awkwardly. Turning to Captain Shields, the Green Ranger said, "So like, we're giving celebrity tours, now?"

"Actually, Buster Green, she's here for something far more important than a tour." Professor Tennet corrected. Turning to the woman in question, she added, "Isn't that right, Ms. Ford?"

"Please, call me Kira." The singer said with a light chuckle. Turning her attention back to the Rangers, she said, "I'm here because Captain Shields invited me to join your team. Starting today, I'll be your Pink Ranger."

"We're...getting another Ranger?" Colleen questioned.

"And one who's a celebrity, no less?" Nate added. Turning to Captain Shields, he said, "Captain, with all due respect, what exactly qualifies her to be a Ranger?"

"Well for starters..." Kira began, lifting up the left sleeve of her jacket to reveal a yellow gem of some sort on top of a silver bracelet. Said gem glowed for a moment, changing into a morpher of some sort which she then activated, morphing into none other than Dino Thunder Yellow. "I've been one before."

"No way…" Graham murmured, sufficiently shocked by this revelation.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, back at the Shields/Voice Residence…_

"Man, these bags are actually kinda heavy..." Colin grunted as he and Sonia made it up the stairs and reached the door to their apartment. Gently placing the bags on the floor, the Blue Ranger used his spare key to unlock the door and open it, after which he gestured inside and said, "Welcome home, Sone."

Smiling at his use of her childhood nickname, Sonia walked into the apartment and began looking around, admiring the interior of her home as if she had never seen it before in her entire life. Walking in carrying the bags, Colin gently set them back down again in order to shut and lock the door behind them.

"It's funny, huh?" Colin said, prompting the girl to turn around and look at him. "This place must seem so small compared to your apartment in LA."

"Its definitely smaller, but I like it better." Sonia told him. "I actually feel at home, here."

"Oh. Well that makes sense I guess. I mean, you _did_ grow up here."

" _We_ grew up, here." Sonia reminded him. "It's been over ten years since you and Colleen came to live with us, remember?"

"It's been that long, huh…?" Colin said somewhat wistfully, stroking his chin as if he were deep in thought. Looking back at Sonia, he said, "I mean obviously I remember that, it's just like...I don't know, usually I don't think about it. Time is usually the last thing on my mind."

Walking over to the couch and sitting down, Sonia replied, "And who could blame you? I mean, you have so many other things on your mind. Being a Ranger, school, friends, other stuff..."

 _You…_ Colin added mentally, though he didn't dare voice this addition aloud. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin Sonia's homecoming by revealing the shockingly deep romantic feelings he held for her. No, Colin was determined to take that little secret to the grave...or at least save the revelation for a mid-life crisis or something of that nature.

"Anyway, how's being a Ranger, CV?" Sonia asked, shaking him from his thoughts. "Is it as fun as it looks?"

"It _is_ kinda fun, actually," Colin said with a laugh. "It's not just a giant game, though. It's a lot like a war-actually, its _exactly_ like a war. We may not make as many sacrifices as actual soldiers, but we still face the same dangers and the stakes are just as high, if not more so. It's serious business."

"I can imagine," Sonia said. Realizing it was kind of a heavy topic, she changed the subject slightly, saying, "Anyway, what's it like to morph?"

"There's nothing else like it." Colin told her. "It's pretty much indescribable."

"I'll bet," She said with a laugh, grabbing the TV remote off of the coffee table before using it to turn on the TV. Looking to Colin, she said, "Wanna watch something?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Sure,"

Hearing this, Sonia patted the cushion to her right, prompting the boy to plop down on the couch next to her. Using the remote, the girl surfed through the different channels, trying to find something for them to watch.

Spotting something onscreen that caught his eye, Colin gestured to it before saying, "Hey look, Big Brother. Wanna watch that?"

"Sure, why not?" Sonia replied, putting the remote down as the reality show started. Shifting around in her seat in order to get more comfortable, she unknowingly scooted closer to Colin, causing his face to flush slightly. "I haven't watched this in _forever._ "

"M-Me neither," Colin replied, rubbing the back of his head while mentally hoping she wouldn't notice his blush.

* * *

 _Back at HQ…_

Watching as Kira demorphed, Graham said, "So...you're really Dino Thunder Yellow?"

"The one and only," Kira confirmed, rolling the sleeve of her jacket back down. "I became a Ranger in my Senior year of high school, just like you guys."

"Wait...you mean we're gonna have a famous person who's _also_ a Ranger veteran on our team?!" Shawn exclaimed. "Awesome!"

"It is not often that I find myself agreeing with you, Buster Silver. However, I must admit that it is _indeed '_ awesome'." Professor Tennet began. Turning towards the hallway, she began walking in the direction of the RnD lab, gesturing for the others to follow before saying, "This way, please. I need to unveil the Buster Pink system to all of you."

"You heard the doc," Captain Shields said. "Right this way."

* * *

"Holy cow!" Sonia said with a laugh, as another episode of the show they'd spent the last hour and a half watching came to a close. Turning to her friend, she said, "I totally forgot how hilarious this show is!"

"Yeah, it is pretty funny," Colin agreed, letting out a bit of a chuckle. Picking up the remote from the coffee table, he looked to Sonia before saying, "So, you wanna watch something else?"

"I don't know, maybe. I think I'm kinda TV-ed out to be honest," Sonia told him. Pulling her phone out of her pocket and checking the time, she said, "Man, Dad and Colleen have been gone a long time, huh?"

"Yeah, they are kinda taking awhile, aren't they?" Colin echoed. Scratching his head, he continued with, "You'd think Logan would have finished the paperwork by now..."

"Unless that's not what's doing," Sonia interjected. "I mean, think about it. Why would he need Colleen and the others there if it was just paperwork? Plus when you volunteered to stay home with me, he hesitated a little."

"Yeah, you're right. Something fishy is going on here...but what?"

"I don't know," Sonia said, standing up from her seat before adding, "But I intend to find out."

"What…? Wait, you don't actually mean-?" Realizing she was serious, Colin stood up and looked at her before saying, "Sone, you _can't_ be serious. Do you know how much trouble you'll be in if he catches you?"

"He _won't_. I've been inside HQ before, remember?" Sonia said matter-of-factly. "I know how to sneak around without getting caught."

"The GPU is a high-security paramilitary organization, I severely doubt security will have any trouble spotting a teenage girl, especially one with pink streaks in her hair." Colin pointed out. "Besides, even if you _could_ go detected, it isn't worth the risk. Logan told us to stay here."

"Yeah? Well I need to figure out what he's hiding from me. We're going." Seeing that he was still reluctant, Sonia reached out and grabbed his hands, giving him the puppy-dog eyes before saying, "C'mon, please?"

His resolve breaking within seconds, Colin said, " _Fine,_ we'll go. But I'm more familiar with HQ, so I'll lead. Understand?"

"Aye aye, cap'n!" Sonia said with a salute and her trademark giggle, unknowingly causing Colin's heart to flutter.

* * *

" _Alright, follow my lead."_

Crouching behind one of the dozens of cars parked in the GPU's secret parking lot, Colin gestured over to Sonia, motioning for her to join him. She made her way over, and the Blue Ranger proceeded to peek his head out of their hiding spot in order to scout ahead. He spotted two cadets hauling what appeared to be crates of surplus with them as they made their way towards the complex's freight elevator. Seeing that they were somewhat distracted, he turned back to Sonia and motioned for her to follow him before slowly making his way out from behind the car. Together, the two teenagers stealthily made their way across the parking lot, watching the cadets intently as they loaded their crates onto the elevator.

Collapsing to a seated position, one of the cadets let out a sigh of exhaustion, prompting the other one to roll his eyes. Walking over to the elevator's control panel, he pressed the button to make it go down before pulling out a carton of cigarettes and a lighter. He then lit a cigarette and began to puff on it, completely oblivious to the fact that Colin and Sonia had snuck onto the elevator with him and were now hiding behind one of the crates.

Within moments, the elevator began slowly making its way down. Cadet 1 went through a loop of almost falling asleep, waking himself back up, and slowly nodding off again, while Cadet 2 simply continued to smoke his cigarette. Repulsed by the smoky smell emanating from the cigarette, Sonia nearly coughed, but luckily Colin was able to cover her mouth, saving them from being detected.

Once the elevator reached the bottom, Cadet 2 put out his cigarette and began barking at Cadet 1 to wake up. Waking up with a start, Cadet 1 waddled off of the elevator and Cadet 2 followed him, hoping to find more cadets who could help them unload the crates.

Watching them leave, Colin motioned for Sonia to follow him again. Sneaking his way out from behind the crate, he stealthily made his way down the hall with the blonde girl following closely behind. Together, the two silently to the Common Area. Spotting another pair of cadets cleaning the floor, Colin ducked into a broom closet to hide, grabbing Sonia by the wrist and pulling her inside with him.

Waiting until he closed the door, Sonia looked at him and whispered, " _Okay, now what?"_

" _I don't know,"_ Colin replied, shrugging his shoulders. " _I didn't see anyone in the Command Ro_ _om or the Common Area, so that leaves either one of the Training Rooms or the Lab._ _I kinda doubt everyone would be training right now, though."_

" _That just leaves the Lab, then."_ Sonia concluded. " _How do we get there from here?"_

Gesturing up to a large air vent on the wall, the Blue Ranger said, " _I think I might have an idea,"_

* * *

After climbing up into the vent, Colin and Sonia crawled through the air duct, using sound in conjunction with the occasional gap to figure out where they were going. Once they reached a certain point, Colin stopped. Turning to Sonia, he gestured to a nearby vent on the side of the duct and said, " _Look,"_

Turning her head, Sonia peered through the vent and into the room beyond it-the RnD Lab. Inside, Professor Tennet was standing in front of a holoscreen, giving a presentation to Captain Shields, the Lieutenants, the Rangers, and one other person…

" _Is that..._ oh my god, that's Kira Ford!" Sonia exclaimed.

" _Shhh!"_ Colin whispered sharply, not wanting to give away their position. Gesturing for Sonia to back up a bit, he shuffled his own way back in order to see for himself. Squinting his eyes in order to get a better look, he said, " _Weird...what's a celebrity like her doing here?"_

Totally oblivious to the fact that the two teenagers were watching from the vents, Professor Tennet addressed the other people in the lab, saying, "This here is the Buster Pink Ranger suit. As you can see, it is themed around an owl, and utilizes the same technology as the Buster Green variant."

" _Wait, what?"_ Colin whispered in slight disbelief. " _We're getting ANOTHER new Ranger?"_

" _Looks like it,"_ Sonia replied, making sure to keep her voice down.

Reaching into a nearby display case and pulling out a morpher that was nearly identical to Tanner's, Professor Tennet walked over to Kira before saying, "Ms. Ford, this Morphin' Brace V2 contains the suit data for the Buster Pink system. Once you morph, you'll be bonded to it permanently...unless you're killed in action, of course, then it would unbond itself. Anyway, that's besides the point. My question is simple-do you accept the mantle of Buster Pink?"

"It'd be an honor," Kira replied, taking the Morphin' Brace V2 from the Professor and swapping it with her Dino Morpher.

"What?!" Sonia squelched, unable to believe what she was seeing. "Kira Ford is your new teammate?!"

Turning around in his chair, Lieutenant Woods tilted his head in confusion before saying, "Who was that…?"

"It sounded like it came from the vents," Lieutenant Rose replied, standing up from her chair and turning to face that direction.

" _Let's bounce!"_ Colin suggested, crawling forward as fast as he could; Sonia followed closely behind. The two almost got away, but they heard the metal beneath them creak, prompting them to stop in their tracks. Realizing it was collapsing, the Blue Ranger muttered, " _...Shit."_

With that, the section of the duct they were in collapsed, sending Colin and Sonia tumbling downwards. The latter nearly hit her head on the metal floor, but Colin managed to catch her just in the nick of time. Looking up, he saw the others, who had all gotten out of their chairs and now surrounded the two.

Letting out a nervous chuckle, Colin gently set Sonia down beside him before saying, "H-Hey guys, how's it h-h-hanging…?"

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in a large brick building Downtown…_

"Hello and welcome to Saban National Bank!" A young woman greeted from behind the counter, smiling politely at a middle-aged woman as she advanced to the front of the line along with a boy she assumed was her son. "How may I help you?"

"My son Austin here just got his first job, and he'd like to open an account." The mother replied. "Can you do that for us, please?"

"Absolutely," The girl at the counter replied. Gesturing to a small carpeted area with couches and chairs, she added, "Just have a seat right over there, someone will be with you shortly."

"Thank you," The woman said gratefully, leading her son over to one of the couches before having a seat.

Watching them for a smile, the girl at the counter turned her attention back to the line, just in time to see another customer-this one a handsome businessman type-approach.

Giving him her usual smile, she said, "Hello and welcome to Saban Nation Bank! How may I help you, sir?"

Returning her smile, the man replied, "I'd like to make a depos-"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" A voice hollered, cutting the man off mid-sentence. "May I have your attention, please?"

This caused everyone in the bank to drop what they were doing and turn their heads, looking in the direction the voice was coming from. Their eyes immediately landed on a young man wearing a trench-coat, who was accompanied by a young woman wearing a fur coat and sunglasses; their appearance quickly shifted and warped to reveal they were none other than-

"My name is Enter," Enter began, shedding his disguise. "And this is my sister, Escape."

"Congratulations, you're all officially our hostages!" Escape announced.

Scoffing a bit, one of the men in line said, "You're not gonna take me hostage. You're not even arm-"

Pulling out her twin pistols, Escape aimed one of them at the man, cutting him off with, "You were saying?"

Seeing this, the man began to cower. Turning to look at all of the customers, she said, "Don't go anywhere, okay kittens? You wouldn't wanna get hurt, now would you?"

"This is ridiculous!" A woman by the entrance said. Turning to the man next to her, she said, "They're not even guarding the door! C'mon, let's go!"

Walking towards the front door, she grabbed the handle and tried pulling it open, only to find that it wouldn't budge. Watching this with a perplexed look on his face, a man on the opposite end of the lobby tried to open one of the side-doors, only to experience the same result.

"Confused, are we?" Enter asked, letting out a bit of a chuckle as he watched the patrons begin to squirm. "Don't be. A Metaloid known as Keyloid had locked this building down from the outside. No one gets in our out...well, except for my sister and I, we're made of data so we can get out anytime. Of course, we're not leaving...not until we get what we came for."

"W-W-What is it that you want…?" The woman behind the counter stammered. "M-Money…?"

"Are you even listening, imbécile?" Enter replied, his French accent growing thicker for a split second. "I just told you I'm not human; money is of _no_ interest to me."

"What do you want, then?!" Another bank employee demanded, looking rather angry. "Why hold us hostage?"

"Silly kittens…your stupidity is adorable," Escape said with a smirk. "My brother and I are after something far more valuable than money. We want Enertron!"

"We're a b-bank, we don't have any of that," The woman behind the counter pointed out.

"No, but you _do_ have dozens of customers for us to leverage," Enter countered. Holding his hand out to one of the patrons, he said, "Give me your cell phone, I need to make a call."

* * *

 _Back at HQ…_

Walking up to the Blue Ranger, Captain Shields folded his arms and spoke with a stern voice, saying, "I thought I told you to stay home."

"You uh, you did..." Colin replied, finding himself unable to look his surrogate father in the eye. Gently placing Sonia down on the floor next to him, he stood to his feet before stammering, "But I...uh...well, I-"

"It was my idea!" Sonia interjected, hopping up to her feet and looking at her father. "I wanted to figure out what you were hiding from me. Colin tried to stop me, but I dragged him here kicking and screaming."

"I don't care who's idea it was; you _both_ disobeyed me. I'm very disa-" Hearing his phone ring, Captain Shields tilted his head in confusion. Pulling it out of his pocket, he answered it, saying, "-pointed. Who is this?"

"Oh, just an old friend," Enter replied from the other end of the line.

"What do you want, Enter?" The Captain groused into the phone. "I'm sort of in the middle of something."

"What a coincidence! I'm in the middle of doing something, too!" Enter said, letting out a sinister chuckle. "I'm inside a bank holding the employees and customers hostage, what are you up to?"

"Dammit, Enter, don't beat around the bush! What are you getting at?!"

"It's really quite simple, _Logan_." Enter taunted. "As stated previously, my sister and I have got the entire staff of Saban National Bank's Starview Heights branch _and_ their customers locked down at gunpoint. We'll let them go, but only in-"

"-in exchange for Enertron?" Captain Shields guessed. Scoffing a bit, he said, "Don't worry Enter, I read you loud and clear. I'm picking up what you're putting down."

"So we have a deal, then?"

"Oh, we have a deal, alright." Captain Shields replied with a chuckle of his own. "Sit tight, pal."

Hanging up the phone, he turned to Graham and said, "Enter and Escape are holding people hostage at Saban National Bank, I'm deploying you and the others immediately."

"Roger that!" Graham said with a salute.

"Kira, I want you to hang back for now. The Vaglass have no idea we have a new Ranger and I don't want them to know until its absolutely necessary." Logan continued. Turning to Sonia, he added, "You and I are gonna have a chat later on tonight. Until then, I want you right here where I can see you."

"Yes sir..." Sonia grumbled, frowning a bit as Colin reluctantly left her side and joined the others.

"Rangers, move out!" The Captain hollered, prompting the six to leave the room and head for the teleporter.

* * *

Outside the bank, a large squadron of Buglars were keeping watch, scanning their surroundings for any sign of trouble. Pacing in front of them for a brief moment, a gold and silver Metaloid themed around keys addressed them, saying, "Keep your eyes peeled, GPU personnel should be on their way with the Enertron. If you see any teenagers come this way, kill them!"

"So...does that include us, or-?" Colin said sarcastically, as he and the others ran into the area.

"You think you're funny, huh boy?" Looking the six over, he said, "You brats are the Power Rangers, correct?"

"As a matter of fact, we are." Tanner told him, folding his arms. "And we're here to free those hostages."

"Good luck with that," The Metaloid scoffed. Lifting up his right arm to reveal a key-shaped blade mounted onto his wrist, he added, "I locked the building using this key; no one gets in or out until we get our Enertron."

"We'll see about that, Keyloid!" Graham hollered. Sharing a brief look with the others, he said, "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!" The six cried in unison, instantly morphing into their Ranger suits.

Whipping out their Buddy Visors, Graham, Colin, and Colleen hooked them onto the front of their Morphin' Braces before pressing the buttons on them and saying, "Buddy Armor Mode: Engage!"

Nate and Shawn quickly followed suite with their Beetle Boosters, saying, "Beetle Booster: Engage!"

"You guessed my name," Keyloid observed, eyeing the teens as they took fighting stances. "Impressive."

"Ain't exactly rocket science," Colin retorted, gesturing to the robot's key-blade.

"Enough small-talk; let's get down to business," Keyloid said. Turning to the Buglars, he raised his key-blade and then swung it downward to point at the Rangers, saying, "Attack!"

"Let's take 'em down!" Graham declared, whipping out his Spy-Saber and flipping it into his usual reverse-grip.

With that, the six charged into battle, rushing to meet the Buglars head on. Using his superspeed, Graham weaved through the crowd of robotic footsoldiers, slashing their sides while dipping and ducking in order to avoid their attempts at a counter-attack.

Watching this rather intently, one of the Buglars studied the Red Ranger's pattern. Waiting until the teen sped over to him, the Buglar caught the blade of his Spy-Saber with both hands, jerking the weapon away before turning it against its owner.

Seeing this in the corner of her vision as she gunned down Buglar after Buglar with her Spy-Blaster, Colleen back-flipping over to Graham and kicked the Buglar that had stolen his weapon in the abdomen, sending it flying backwards. Catching Graham's Spy-Saber as it descended towards the ground, the Yellow Ranger held it out to her Red counterpart, saying, "Here,"

"Thanks," Graham replied, taking the weapon from her before leaping headfirst back into combat.

As the Red and Yellow Rangers worked in tandem, Blue and Gold did the same. Pounding his fists into the ground, Colin used his superstrength to create a blacktop barrier. Several Buglars began shooting energy-blasts at it in an attempt to break through, but before they could make a dent, Nate leapt over the makeshift wall and slashed them with his Drive Blade, destroying them.

Spotting another group of incoming Buglars, Nate ran at them and began picking them off. Meanwhile, Colin used his superstrength to punch through his own barrier, creating shards of debris that sunk into the chests of another group of Buglars, killing them instantly.

His mouth forming into an amused smirk underneath his helmet, Colin said, "Here's a little tip, my robotic friends: electronics and shrapnel _don't_ mix."

Bounding over to another group of Buglars, Colin continued to assist Nate in taking down the robotic footsoldiers. Meanwhile, Tanner and Shawn had teamed up and were using their blaster weapons to gun down Buglars left and right.

Getting a little cocky, Tanner hollered, "WHOO! It's like shooting fish in a barrel!"

Sensing a stray Buglar sneaking up on his green counterpart with this hyper-detection, Shawn turned to warn him, saying. "Tanner, look out!"

Receiving no response, Shawn leapt in-between Tanner and the Buglar, taking the hit that the latter attempted to deliver to the former. This stunned the Silver Ranger, allowing the Buglar to fire an energy-blast that sent him flying into a nearby fountain.

Turning around, Tanner watched as horror as the Buglar and two of its comrades approached the fountain and aimed their weapons at Shawn, intending to finish him off. Pulling out his Spy-Saber V2, he combined it with his Spy-Blaster V2 to form the Combo Mode before aiming it at the Buglar trio and firing a rapid series of energy-blasts. This caused an explosion that sent the three robots flying into the fountain. Superspeeding over to the fountain, he then proceeded to grab Shawn and hoist him out of the water, saving him from being electrocuted as the three Buglars hit the liquid and immediately shorted out.

Skidding to a halt a few feet away from the fountain, Tanner looked to his silver counterpart and said, "You good?"

Nodding in response, Shawn said, "Thanks for the save,"

Turning their heads just in time to see another group of Buglars surround them, Tanner and Shawn shared another look before dashing forward to meet them head on.

* * *

Watching all of this from the holoscreen in the Command Room, Kira said, "They're doing a really good job holding their own out there."

Turning to Sonia, she said, "Hey, you're Sonia Shields, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," Sonia replied rather shyly, surprised that Kira Ford of all people was talking to her. "How'd you guess?"

"Well your name is Sonia, your dad's last name is Shields, and I've seen you on TV a few times and you looked familiar," Kira told her. "You're a really good singer, y'know. My boyfriend and I listen to your music all the time."

"Really?" Sonia asked. Seeing the older girl nod in response, Sonia added, "Thanks, that means a lot."

"Don't mention it," Kira said. "Say, when do you think your next album is coming out? Do you know?"

"Well I um, I don't know if there'll be another one…" Sonia said somewhat awkwardly. "I think I'm kinda done with the whole music thing."

"Oh. I see." Noticing the girl looked rather downtrodden about it, Kira said, "Any reason why?"

"I don't know, I guess I just got tired of it," Sonia told her. "I've been doing it since I was really young and it's been like _all_ I've done, y'know? Day in, day out, day in, day out."

"Yeah, I can relate. I used to feel fatigued every now and then earlier in my career," Kira replied. "If you need a break, just take a break. If you want to you can go back, or you can just move on and do something else. It's all up to you, girl."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sonia said with a smile, turning her attention back to the holoscreen in order to watch the Rangers some more.

* * *

Watching the Rangers as they dispatched the last of the Buglars, Keyloid let out an amused chuckle. Stepping closer to the teens as they regrouped, he addressed them, saying, "You've shown quite the aptitude for combat...but those were just my worthless pawns. Now we'll see how you stand up to _my_ might!"

Lifting his key-blade again, he ran at the Rangers and swung it downward in their direction, forcing them to scatter in order to dodge the attack. Vaulting into the air, Colleen attempted to deliver a roundhouse kick to the Metaloid, but he simply grabbed her leg and used the leverage to toss the Yellow Ranger aside. Clenching his fist, Graham slashed at the robot with his Spy-Saber, but Keyloid blocked the attack with his key-blade, sending the weapon hurtling out of the Red Ranger's hand before slashing him across the chest.

Watching his red counterpart fall to the ground, Nate grit his teeth inside his helmet. Using his telekinesis to pick up several stray stones that were lying on the ground, the Gold Ranger flung them at his foe in an attempt to distract him. He then went in for an attack with his Drive Blade, but Keyloid blocked said attack just like he had Graham's. Picking Nate up by the neck, he lifted him up and prepared to slam him onto his back, but before he could, Tanner supersped into a slide and swept the Metaloid's legs out from underneath of him, causing him to drop the Gold Ranger.

Seeing an opportunity, Colin clenched his right fist and swung a superstrength-powered punch at Keyloid's face, but the Metaloid saw this coming. Grabbing the Blue Ranger by the waist, the robot suplexed him onto his back, causing him to groan in pain. Hopping back up to his feet, he swung his key-blade at Shawn; the Silver Ranger ducked to avoid the attack, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the subsequent uppercut from Keyloid's free hand.

Letting out a hearty laugh as Shawn landed on his back, Keyloid said, "Just as I thought! You Rangers may be strong, but I'm stronger! Your puny toys and stunts are no use against me!"

* * *

"I hate to say this, Captain, but it's not looking good for the Rangers out there." Professor Tennet observed from her seat in the Command Room, turning to look at Captain Shields with a hint of concern on her face. "I think now may be a good time to deploy Kira."

"I suppose you're right," Captain Shields replied, reluctantly taking his eyes off of the holoscreen in order to look back at Kira. "Whenever you're ready, Kira. Our Rangers need you."

"Aye, sir." Kira replied, standing up from her seat and looking over at Professor Tennet before saying, "How does this morpher work?"

"Just turn the dial, say 'Install: Spy-Busters', and then press down the button," Professor Tennet told her. Holding out her left arm, she mimed the motions for Kira before saying, "Like so."

"Thanks, Professor." Kira replied, bowing her head politely. Brandishing her Morphin' Brace V2, she did exactly as Professor Tennet had instructed her, saying, "Install: Spy-Busters!"

With that, Kira slammed on the button, causing a wave of energy to surge through her as the Buster Pink suit formed over her. Watching as the suit slowly materialized over her body, Kira tilted her head in confusion when she saw it begin to fluctuate.

"Doc, is it supposed to flicker like that…?" Lieutenant Woods asked somewhat hesitantly. "I'm not quite sure it's workin-oh god!"

Turning her attention to Kira, Professor Tennet looked on in horror as the morpher backfired. Kira's body sparked and she flew onto her back, falling unconscious as soon as she hit the floor.

Rushing over to her, Professor Tennet checked her pulse and said, "She's alive, she just needs medical attention. Somebody radio the infirmary, tell them we need a doctor!"

"Doc, what happened?!" Captain Shields demanded. "Why didn't it work?"

"I don't know," Professor Tennet admitted, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her own mouth. Looking up at him, she continued with, "I thought that she'd be able to handle the Morphin' Brace's energy-output, but unless that was just a random malfunction, all signs are pointing to the fact that her body isn't compatible with our tech."

"So...she can't become Buster Pink?" Lieutenant Woods asked.

"I'm afraid not," Professor Tennet told him.

"Then what will we do?" Lieutenant Rose questioned, her eyes glued to the holoscreen as Keyloid continued to beat the Rangers around.

"Lord help them..." Captain Shields said grimly, unable to look at the screen as the weight of the situation began to crash down onto him. "Because we can't,"

* * *

Letting out a maniacal cackle as he repeatedly wailed on the Rangers, Keyloid said, "You six may not be the best fighters but I'll tell you what, you make _excellent_ punching bags!"

Scooping Colleen up by the neck and lifting her high above his head, the Metaloid said, "How you holding up there, huh? Had enough yet?"

Struggling to breathe as the Metaloid tightened his grip on her neck, Colleen managed to choke out, "Not even...close..."

"Resilient. I like that," Casually releasing the girl, Keyloid gave her a few seconds to catch her breath as he added, "There's nothing worse than a toy that breaks too easily."

Seeing that she had caught her breath, Keyloid slashed her across the chest, forcedly demorphing the Yellow Ranger and sending her flying backward. Landing on the ground, the girl rolled a few feet away before stopping, groaning in pain while she struggled to remain conscious.

Ultimately, she failed. Amused by this, Keyloid turned to the others and said, "Looks like Yellow's clocked out for the day. Who's next?"

Clenching their fists so hard that their knuckles turned white inside their gloves, Graham and Colin both hopped to their feet, winding up their arms as they charged at the Metaloid.

"You _bastard!_ " Colin roared, swinging a punch at the robot.

"You'll pay for that!" Graham echoed, swinging a punch of his own.

Catching both of their fists mid swing, Keyloid quickly taunted them with a, "Cute," before using the leverage to shove the two boys into eachother. Watching in amusement as they stumbled around, clearly disoriented, he charged up an energy-blast in his left hand and launched it at them, causing an explosion that sent them flying and forcedly demorphed them as well.

"Hahahahaha!" The Metaloid boomed, full of sadistic glee as he watched the two fall unconscious just as their yellow counterpart had. Turning to the remaining three Rangers, he said, "How about it, Gold? Silver? Green? Are you guys in the mood for a nap, too?"

Realizing they were being severely overpowered, Tanner began backing away slightly; Nate and Shawn slowly followed. Together, the three edged away from the Metaloid, a sense of fear and hopelessness sinking into their hearts.

* * *

Scooping up Kira and putting her onto a stretcher, a GPU doctor looked at Professor Tennet and said, "Don't worry, Professor. We'll take extra good care of her."

With that, he exited the Command Room, leaving the others to watch the holoscreen in horror. Finding himself overwhelmed by the horrifying sadism on display, Lieutenant Woods turned away from the screen, saying, "I can't watch. I can't watch this..."

"Our boys…" Lieutenant Rose mumbled, a few stray tears falling from her eyes as she watched Nate and Shawn begin to panic. Practically shrinking as her husband took her into his arms, she cried, "What's gonna happen to our boys?!"

Watching all of this from her seat, Sonia clenched her fist. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before reopening them; when she did, they landed on an object on the floor-one that looked very familiar.

" _The morpher..."_ Sonia whispered to herself, realizing it was Kira's discarded Morphin' Brace V2. Getting out of her chair, she began making her way over to it, catching the attention of Captain Shields as she did so.

"Hey pumpkin, where are you going?" He asked, tilting his head in confusion as she bent down and scooped something off of the ground. "Sonia…? Sonia?"

Standing up with the morpher in her hand, Sonia weighed it in her palm for a few seconds before nodding. Pressing it to her left wrist, she strapped it to her left arm as Captain Shields' eyes widened in realization and horror.

"Sonia, stop!" He shouted, pleading with his daughter not to do it. "It's too dangerous, don't do it!"

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I have to do this." Sonia told him. Closing her eyes, she brandished the morpher and spoke calmly, saying, "Install: Spy-Busters,"

"NO!" Logan screamed at the top of his lungs, watching as she turned the dial and pressed the button, activating the morpher.

 **~Sonia Morphing Sequence~**

Opening her eyes, Sonia finds herself in an empty black space, devoid of any color. The only source of light in this space is a white egg-like structure, which she steps into, folding her arms over her chest in an 'X' shape. Closing around her, the egg glows bright gold before exploding, revealing Sonia in a white, form-fitting leather suit. From her back sprouts two large wings, which shed some feathers before folding back in on themselves. Falling to her feet, the feathers form a ring of ones and zeroes which rises up her body, filling the white suit with color before stopping at her neck.

Looking up, Sonia leaps into the air, flying towards a larger ring of data that forms her helmet. Thus, the transformation is complete.

 **~End Morphing Sequence~**

Looking down at her arms and examining them, Sonia realized she had transformed. Looking up at her father, she spoke in slight disbelief, saying, "It worked! It actually worked..."

Realizing that he now had no other choice, Logan gestured towards the door with his head, saying, "Go,"

Nodding, Sonia turned and briskly ran out of the Command Room, sprinting to the teleporter in the Common Area and using it to warp out of the base. Watching her leave, Captain Shields stood totally still. Despite his best efforts, a single tear managed to fall down his cheek.

" _I'm sorry, Barb..."_ He whispered, glancing down at a picture of his deceased wife on his desk.

* * *

"So, none of you have the courage to step forward?" Keyloid taunted, as Nate, Shawn, and Tanner backed themselves into the wall of a nearby building. "What a shame...just a few minutes ago you fought with ferocity and bravery unlike anything I've ever seen, but now you're cowering like rats...fear not, your suffering will be over shortly."

Charging up an energy-blast in his left hand, Keyloid waiting for it to reach its full potential before sliding his left hand over his key-blade, infusing it with energy and causing it to glow bright red.

Drawing back his right arm, he prepared to deliver a final, devastating attack to the terrified teens. However, before he could finish them off, he was intercepted when a pink blur flew in from out of nowhere, causing his armor to spark as it soared past him. Landing on the other side of him, the blur slowly disappeared, revealing none other than Buster Pink.

"Leave them alone!" She hollered, standing up to her feet and turning around to face the Metaloid.

Whipping around to look at the newcomer, Keyloid shouted, "Another Ranger? Are you _kidding_ me?!"

"Unfortunately not. Nighttime Flier!" Folding her arms over her chest in an 'X' shape, the Pink Ranger extended them outward as if she was an owl spreading its wings. She then brought her hands back down and balled them into fists, which she thrust outward in a similar manner to a boxer before saying, "Buster Pink!"

Slowly moving up to his knees as he regained consciousness, Graham tilted his head and said, "Is that...Kira?"

"No," Colleen replied, as she too regained consciousness.

"Then...who is it?" Tanner questioned, sounding confused.

"I recognize...that voice anywhere," Colin said weakly as he also woke back up. Looking up at the Pink Ranger, he said, "Sonia, is that you? What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story. I'll explain everything later," Sonia replied. "For now, I've got a Metaloid to finish."

"Pfft, yeah right!" Keyloid shouted arrogantly. Taking a fighting stance, he said, "You may've gotten a lucky hit in but you're mine now, Pinky!"

"We'll see about that," Sonia said defiantly. "Just try and stop me!"

With that, she broke into a run. Picking up momentum, she slowly began to disappear, moving so fast that all the others could see was a pink blur. Kicking off the ground using her right heel, she began flying around, circling Keyloid and punching and kicking him multiple times as she soared past.

Watching as the girl landed back down on the ground again, Colin spoke to himself, saying, "She can fly…?"

* * *

Stroking his chin, Captain Shields widened his eyes in realization before saying, "She's a Metahuman…"

* * *

Scoffing a bit, Keyloid said, "So you can fly-big deal! Icarus could fly too, y'know!"

Charging up another energy-blast, he transferred it to his key-blade before swinging it forward, unleashing a wave of energy that hurtled towards the Pink Ranger. "Don't fly too close to the sun, girly!"

Reacting quickly, Sonia vaulted into the air, using her ability to hover above the energy-wave and effectively dodge the attack. Gliding back down to the ground, she saw Keyloid launch yet another energy-wave, which she barely avoided, rolling to the side just in the nick of time.

"Man, this guy sure packs a punch...if I get too close, I'm dead!" Sonia said to herself. "If only I had a weapon..."

* * *

Tapping into the comm-link as she briskly walked out of the Command Room and made her way back into the Lab, Professor Tennet said, "It would appear that you're in luck, Buster Pink. I've got just the thing here at the Lab. You see the black radio-esque device on your left shoulder?"

* * *

Looking down at her left shoulder, Sonia nodded, saying, "Yeah, I see it."

* * *

"That is your Transpod," The Professor told her, reaching into her display case and grabbing a Spy-Blaster V2. Walking up to the equipment-transporter, she opened it up and placed the weapon inside before closing it again. She then continued by saying, "Press the button on it, it'll open up a channel in our teleportation network that will subsequently allow me to transport you a weapon."

* * *

"Will do...creepy, disembodied voice coming out of my morpher..." Sonia replied, prompting the Professor to audibly facepalm. Pressing the button on her Transpod, she watched as the Spy-Blaster V2 materialized in the air directly in front of her. "Woah, it worked! Cool!"

Grabbing the weapon, she aimed it at Keyloid and said, "You're in trouble now, pal!"

Pulling the trigger, she fired a trio of energy-blasts at her foe. Keyloid managed to dodge the first two, but the third one caught him off-guard, hitting him and causing his armor to spark.

Seeing smoke rise up from his torso, Keyloid growled, "Why...you little bitch! You're gonna pay for that!"

Charging up an energy-blast three times the size of the last one he made, he transferred it to his key-blade and reeled back his arm, preparing to unleash a monstrous final attack.

Realizing that this attack would likely kill Sonia, Colin cupped his hands to his mouth in order to amplify his voice before shouting, "Sonia, there's a dial on the barrel of your blaster-twist it now!"

"If you say so..." She replied.

Twisting the dial, the girl heard an electronic voice say, "Buster Time!". Turning to look at Colin, she said, "Now what?!"

"It's charging a finishing attack!" Colin explained. "Aim it at Keyloid and let him have it!"

"Got it!" She hollered. Pointing the weapon at her opponent, she said, "You're mine!"

With that, she pulled the trigger, unleashing a golden beam of energy at exactly the same time that Keyloid unleashed his energy-wave. The two attacks collided in mid-air and began dueling with eachother, with neither having a clear advantage. After a few seconds it looked like Keyloid's energy-wave was going to beat out Sonia's finisher, but her attack proved to be stronger, absorbing his attack before cutting through his armor like a hot knife through butter.

Looking down, Keyloid saw a hole in his chest the size of a baseball. As he began sparking uncontrollably, he looked at Sonia and said, "Well played, pinky...well played..."

Falling to his knees, Keyloid let out one final scream as his body exploded into data. Watching as he disappeared forever, Sonia pumped her fist in excitement, saying, "Alright! I did it!"

* * *

"Well I'll be damned," Lieutenant Woods said with a smirk. Turning to Captain Shields, he said, "Hey Cap, did you see that? Turns out your kid's quite the fighter."

"Oh, I saw, Martin." The Captain replied rather emotionlessly, mentally sighing in relief. _Thank God she's okay…_

Noticing something strange about the bank doors, Lieutenant Rose pointed to the holoscreen, saying, "Look!"

* * *

Turning to look at the front doors of the bank, Shawn said, "Hey, the entrance is glowing! Do you think we can get in now?"

"Only one way to find out," Sonia replied. Turning towards the bank, she sprinted over to the doors and kicked them, causing them to fling right open. Watching as she burst into the bank, the hostages murmured amongst one-another; spotting her from the center of the lobby, Escape folded her arms and scowled.

"Another one?" She said. " _Seriously?_ "

"Don't worry sister, she's nothing we can't handle," Enter replied nonchalantly. Summoning his rapier, he gripped the weapon tightly. Turning to Sonia, he addressed her by saying, "I don't believe we've met...who are you?"

"The Pink Ranger, I guess..." Sonia shrugged. "I don't know, I'm still getting used to this whole thing,"

"I see...well, I'm Enter, and this is Escape. We're going to kill you,"

"Not if we can help it!" Colin hollered, as he, Graham, and Colleen burst in out of nowhere, having morphed again before re-entering their Buddy Armor Mode. They were followed quickly by Nate, Shawn, and Tanner.

Scoffing, Enter said, "You might have forgotten children, but the last time we fought, we wiped the floor with you. What makes you think this time'll be any different?"

"There isn't going to _be_ a 'this time', brother," Escape told him rather suddenly. "Papa specifically told us not to fight the Rangers this time."

"Who cares? They've been a thorn in my-no, in _our_ side for far too long," Enter countered. Raising his rapier, he added, "I think things would run _much_ smoother if we got rid of them once and for all..."

"Another time, brother. Our plan failed, it's time to retreat!" Escape said sternly. "Papa said-"

"I don't care what that crackpot said!" Enter exclaimed. "He's been cooped up for too long, he wouldn't even know what it's like to fight the Rangers."

"Maybe not, but he's _still_ in charge," Escape pointed out. "If you don't fall back, I'm telling him you disobeyed a direct order. You know how upset he gets when we don't listen to him."

"Dammit Escape, you're such a pet...fine, we'll leave." Turning his attention back to the Rangers, he said, "This fight is far from over, though. You understand me, brats? We _will_ be back!"

With that, he and Escape warped away, falling back to fight another day. Realizing they'd won, Graham motioned towards the civilians, saying, "You're all free to go. The Vaglass are gone, you're safe now."

"Thank you so much!" Austin's mother said, getting up from her spot on the couch and walking up to the Rangers. Looking up at Graham, she said, "You and your team are true heroes, Red Ranger!"

"Thank you, that means a lot...but we almost weren't able to save you all," He admitted. Gesturing over to Sonia, he said, "If it wasn't for our new recruit here, you'd still be trapped here."

Getting up from the couch and slowly approaching Sonia, Austin said, "T-Thank you for saving us, Pink Ranger. Can I have your autograph…?"

"...Sure," Sonia replied somewhat awkwardly, having been caught off guard by this. Grabbing a pen and a pad of paper off of a nearby table, she scribbled 'Buster Pink' onto the page, before saying, "What's your name?"

"Austin," The young man replied shyly, prompting her to write down his name, tear off the page, and then hand it to him, receiving a quick 'thanks' in return.

Elbowing her once Austin and his mother left the bank, Colin said, "What do you know? Looks like you're famous,"

Smirking a bit underneath her helmet, Sonia replied with, "I guess so,"

"You've still got a lot of explaining to do, though," Colin told her, suddenly growing more serious.

"Yeah I know," Sonia replied, rubbing the back of head. "I'll explain everything back at HQ, I promise."

* * *

"...to make a long story short, although Kira seemed like a good candidate for the Buster Pink system, her body cannot handle the energy-output of the morpher or the suit," Professor Tennet explained to Graham and the others as they stood in the Command Room, listening to her ramble on about the reasons why Kira didn't end up becoming the Pink Ranger. "She just wasn't compatible."

"Bummer. It would've been pretty cool to have a veteran on the team," Tanner said. Turning to Sonia, he said, "Still, I think we ended up with a pretty cool Pink Ranger, all things considered."

"Thanks, Tanner." Turning to Professor Tennet, Sonia said, "Speaking of Kira, is she going to be okay?"

Walking in the room with some light bandages on her forehead, Kira said, "I'm fine, actually. I had some minor injuries, but the GPU doctors patched me right up."

Looking at Captain Shields, she joked, "You guys should start a healthcare business."

"That _would_ be a pretty good way to pay the bills," Captain Shields said with a chuckle. Changing the subject, he said, "Thanks for coming out, Kira. Sorry you couldn't join our team after all."

"Hey, don't worry-I got a free vacation out of it. Plus, I got to meet Sonia Shields," Kira pointed out. Turning to the girl in question, she said, "You still thinking about retiring from music?"

"Yeah...about that," Sonia said awkwardly. "I...kinda lied about quitting. I um, I didn't 'quit', perse, I was asked to. See, something happened to me during my last concert, and I started flying above the stage, and people got really scared, and...Eddie said it was a PR nightmare. They managed to pay off the people who were there to keep them quiet, but in order to keep it from escalating they suggested I lay low for awhile."

"I'm sorry, Sone," Colleen replied, giving her surrogate sister a sympathetic look.

"That's okay," Sonia told her. "I was thinking about quitting anyway, so they pretty much did me a favor."

"Well if you're done, that's fine. Like I said, it's up to you what to do with your life," Kira began. "That being said, if you ever wanna record a song together or do a joint concert or something, call me. I have a really good track record of success with my label, so I can convince them to bring you in even if the media start spreading rumors about you. I've got your back."

"Thanks, Kira. It was really nice meeting you," Sonia replied, giving the older girl a smile.

"It was nice meeting you too. It was nice meeting _all_ of you, actually." Looking down at her watch, she said, "I'd better get going though, I only came to check out the Professor's presentation, so now that I'm not joining the team I need to fly back home. Take care, guys!"

"See ya!" The others replied in unison, waving goodbye to the former Ranger as she left the Command Room and was escorted to the parking lot in order to get a ride to the airport.

Once she was gone, the seven teens began chatting amongst one-another, discussing Sonia's first battle and her new role as the seventh Ranger in excited tones. Watching this with an amused smirk, Lieutenant Woods turned to Captain Shields and said, "So, how you holding up, Logan? You ready for your daughter to be a superhero?"

"Is anyone ever really ready for that?" He questioned, to which the Lieutenant shrugged. Letting out a bit of a sigh, the Captain continued with, "I don't know, Martin. I mean, it's not like we have any choice, she's bonded to the morpher now. And I wanna be supportive, it's just...she's my only daughter, y'know? If anything ever happened to her, I'd-"

"I know. _Trust me._ Alicia and I get scared to death every time Nate and Shawn go into battle." Placing his hand on his friend's shoulder, he added, "We trust our boys and their abilities, though. We also trust the others to help carry them through. Don't worry, Logan. She won't be alone."

"You're right," Logan said with a nod. "I know you are..."

Patting his commanding officer on the back, Martin said, "It'll be okay, Cap. Don't worry."

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

Watching footage of Sonia's first battle as Buster Pink on a large computer screen in his lab, Professor Rourke said, "Interesting...the Rangers have added another new member. That makes seven...say, Briggs. How's our little project coming along?"

Turning in his computer chair to face the former GPU scientist, Briggs replied, "It's almost done, actually. Soon, we'll have our very own Morphin' Brace."

"Excellent." Professor Rourke said, a sinister smile forming on his face.

"What do you think we'll do with it…? Give it to someone and hire them to be our own personal Ranger?"

"Actually, I had a better idea..." Rourke told him. Pulling his cellphone out of his pocket, he looked to Briggs and said, "What do we say we do a little...outsourcing?"

Scrolling through his contacts list, Rourke stopped when he saw the name 'Potential Partner'. Dialing the number, he waited for the person to pick up the call before pressing the phone to his ear and saying, "Hello…?"

"Who is this?" The person on the other end of the line replied, their voice instantly recognizable as Enter's.

"Oh, just a family friend," Rourke told him, prompting Briggs to let out a sinister chuckle.

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

 **(*As the music of the song begins, we see a sweeping shot of a map of the world. Zooming in on America, we see Georgia; zooming in even further, we see Starview Heights. Standing on top of the map, we can clearly see Graham and the other Rangers, who are standing still, stoic looks on their faces. Looking up, they collectively take a fighting stance, as an army of Buglars runs as them and the vocals of the song begin*)**

 **~What makes all of us hate? We're all the same,**

 **We roll the dice, and we play your game!~**

 **(*Transitioning to the city square, we see Enter standing on a rooftop. Waving his arm, he orders a battalion of Buglars to attack the Rangers, locking eyes with Graham, who is visibly angry. Clenching his fist as the Avatar warps away, Graham brandishes his morpher, transforming into Buster Red and prompting the others to follow suite.*)**

 **~We complicate, show us the way,**

 **Before it's too late, and the whole thing breaks~**

 **(*Together, the five leap into action. Colin uses his superstrength to smash his way through the robotic footsoldiers, while Shawn shoots them with his Morphin' Blaster, using his hyper-detection in order to prevent anyone from being flanked*)**

 **~We have a name, we all create,**

 **Everything else, the mistakes we make!~**

 **(*Meanwhile, Colleen uses her superagility to evade the Buglars, as she guns them down with her Spy-Blaster. The ones she misses try to get away, but they are cut down by Nate using his Drive Blade.*)**

 **~We'll make a change, we'll concentrate,**

 **Before we suffocate!~**

 **(*Using his superspeed, Graham skips right past the Buglars and heads straight for the Metaloid, delivering a swift punch to its jaw before kneeing it in the chest. He then attempts to roundhouse kick the robot, but it grabs his foot and tosses him aside, causing the Red Ranger to land on his back.*)**

 **~Can't hold this in, and keep it quiet any longer!**

 **I've fallen in, and now this feeling's getting stronger!~**

 **(*We transition to another scene, where an unmorphed Graham can be seen falling through an endless sky. Reaching his hand out, he tries to scream, but finds he is unable to speak.*)**

 **~You take my breath away!~**

 **(*Falling into the darkness, Graham tries to scream once more, to no avail. Suddenly, he shoots up out of bed, revealing this to have been a nightmare*)**

 **~Now I'm trying to get up, I'm trying to retrace,**

 **My steps back, to wherever I messed up!~**

 **(*Back at the battle, a still-morphed Graham struggles to his feet, summoning his Spy-Saber. Rushing towards the Metaloid, he attempts to slash at it, but it repeatedly evades his attacks, annoying the Red Ranger to no end.*)**

 **~Is forever enough?**

 **I'm holding on!~**

 **(*We transition back to the nightmare, this time starting from the beginning. Inside the void, Graham is hanging off of a cliff, and is about to fall. Standing at the top is Colleen, who reaches out to him, attempting to pull him up.*)**

 **~I know you'll be there,**

 **Whenever I wake up!~**

 **(*Graham succeeds in grabbing her hand, but he accidentally pulls her further down the cliff edge. Realizing she'll fall with him if he doesn't let go, Graham rips his hand away, falling down the cliff while screaming her name. Waking up from the nightmare once more, the Red Ranger takes a series of shallow breaths, calming himself down as the song comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

* * *

 **A/N:** So, there you have it! Sonia has joined the team as the seventh and final Ranger!

What'd you think? Did you like it? Dislike it? Hate it? Love it? Feel free to let me know your thoughts and feelings or maybe even predictions by leaving a review, I love reading your guys' feedback. (And hey, who knows, maybe I'll even reply *winks*)

Anyway, with this episode done and dusted, Spy-Busters is officially back for its second half. Bring on the confetti! I'll be back soon with the next episode, so look forward to that. For now, here's a preview.

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** _After repeatedly being sent on mundane and boring missions, Sonia confronts her father, accusing him of coddling her. In order to test her skills, the Captain assigns her and Graham to take on the powerful Mazeloid! Can the Pink Ranger take on the Metaloid with the help of her red counterpart in order to prove herself? Find out, in_ **Episode 21: Proving Ground!**


	23. Ep 21: Proving Ground

**A/N:** Hey guys, it's update time again! This took me a _lot_ longer than I wanted it to, but I finally finished it and that's all that really matters. Before we start, I'd just like to give a special shoutout to my good friend greenprimalranger from Discord. He made a brand new Spy-Busters logo for me, and I didn't even ask for it! Thanks again, dude, I really appreciate it!

Anyway, with that out of the way, I hope ya'll enjoy the chapter. Roll film!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or Super Sentai, or any of the related trademarks. This is a fanmade, non-profit adaptation of the 2012 Sentai series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and is being made purely for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of any readers I may have along the way. Please do not get mad and sue me.**

 **Claimer: I do, however, own any OCs that appear. I also own any original plot elements not seen in Go-Busters or any other Sentai or Ranger season. Thank you.**

* * *

"Hey, Sonia! Over here!"

Sonia smiled brightly at the sound of her surrogate sister's voice. As she exited the cafeteria and walked out onto the quad, she turned and saw Colleen, who was sitting underneath a tree.

"Hey sis," She replied, making her way over. "What's up?

"Nothing much, just waiting for the guys," Colleen replied. Patting the ground next to her, she added, "Here, have a seat."

The Pink Ranger immediately took her yellow counterpart up on the offer, sitting down on the girl's left and setting her tray on her lap.

Taking a quick sip of her water battle, Colleen set it back down next to her. Spotting Graham and the others emerging from the cafeteria, she gestured to them before saying, "Speaking of which, here they come now. Hey guys,"

"Hey Colleen," Graham said with a smile, sitting down on her right and leaning his back against the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Yo," Nate and Shawn said casually. The former sat Indian-style on the grass across from Graham, while the latter climbed on top of a nearby picnic table, sitting on the top part and placing his feet on the bottom section.

"Hiya sis," Colin said, electing to sit by Sonia instead of taking his usual spot next to Shawn. Looking to the girl, he couldn't help but smile as he added, "Hiya Sone,"

"Hey," Sonia replied, smiling in return.

With that, the six teens began to dig into their lunch. Taking a few bites of her sandwich, Colleen looked up and said, "So guys, how was class?"

"It was good," Graham said with a shrug.

"Lot of exams coming up," Nate said rather emotionlessly, not even looking up as he leafed through a textbook resting on his left knee and balanced his lunch tray on his right one.

"Don't remind me..." Shawn groaned, burying his head in his knees.

"It was...well, class," Colin chuckled. Turning his attention back to Sonia, he said, "What about you? You liking it here so far?"

"Yeah, definitely!" Sonia replied rather excitedly; today was her first day at SHHS, and she'd been dying to tell her friends about her experiences so far. "It's really cool, especially compared to my last school."

"What was wrong with your last school?" Nate asked, looking up at her with a curious expression. "Didn't a lot of celebrities' kids go there?"

Nodding in confirmation, Sonia added, "There were a lot of richies too, but that makes sense since it was a private school. Anyway, the people there were really snooty and judgmental. Everybody here seems a lot nicer."

"Well we're glad you like it, Sone." Colin replied. Taking a few bites of his mashed potatoes and instantly regretting it, he added, "We're really glad to have you here."

"Me too. Going to school with you guys is gonna be _awesome_!" Sonia chirped. Taking a few bites of her salad, she added, "I'm even more excited for patrol, though. I can't wait to see what kind of super tough Metaloid we get to fight today!"

* * *

"...You're joking, right?"

Standing in the doorway of the local elementary school's art-room, a morphed Sonia watched in disbelief as a tiny Metaloid themed after an eraser ran across the classroom's various tables.

Letting out a high-pitched laugh, Eraserloid shot out pitifully-small energy-blasts from his right hand and fired a volley of tiny-missiles from his left, destroying a stray sketchbook and causing bits of scorched paper to fly everywhere.

Sonia turned towards the corner, where the school's art teacher was cowering in fear. She then addressed her by saying, "Are you sure this is the robot that's terrorizing your school?"

"O-O-Of course it is, now please get rid of it!" The middle-aged woman stammered in fright, prompting the Pink Ranger to roll her eyes underneath her helmet.

Side-stepping to make way for Colin, Sonia watched as the Blue Ranger pressed a button on his Transpod, materializing his Spy-Saber. Walking over to the table, Colin lightly poked Eraserloid with the weapon, knocking the tiny Metaloid onto his back. Flailing his arms and legs around, Eraserloid exploded in a tiny poof of smoke, not even causing any visible damage to the table.

Seeing that the Metaloid had been defeated, the art teacher emerged from her corner and said, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

 _You have GOT to be kidding me…_ Sonia thought to herself, folding her arms as Colin raised his morpher to his mouth and spoke into it.

"HQ, this is Bravo Leader." He said. "Mission accomplished, over."

* * *

 ***Cue Opening Theme: "Ghosts in the Water" by Arrows to Athens***

 **(*The music of the song begins to play, as the camera rapidly pans over Starview Heights. Then, out of nowhere, it comes to a sudden halt at a rooftop, where Graham can be seen observing a battle down below. The vocals of the song begin, as Graham continues to watch, his face full of uncertainty and despair.*)**

 _ **~At the edge of the Earth, now**_

 _ **I've never seen this place before.~**_

 **(*We flash to a downtown city street that has been ravaged by a Vaglass attack; Graham and the other Rangers are slowing making their way through it, observing the damage that has been done with sorrowful looks in their eyes. Kneeling down and picking up a charred teddy bear seemingly abandoned by a child in a hurry, Tanner lets out a sad sigh.*)**

 _ **~The ghosts in the water,**_

 _ **Waiting for dark before pulling us under.~**_

 **(*Meanwhile, Nate and Shawn are in the middle of fighting a battalion of Buglars, when they suddenly lose the advantage, resulting in them becoming surrounded. As Graham and the others look on in pure horror, the Gold and Silver Rangers are pulled into a literal ocean of the footsoldiers, screaming in agony as they are seemingly ripped apart. Suddenly, Graham shoots up out of bed, revealing it to have only been a nightmare.*)**

 _ **~Below is a wasteland,**_

 _ **With stories of empires underground.~**_

 **(*Inside Hyperspace, Colleen finds the ruins of the GPU's old Headquarters, which was destroyed on the day Psycho went rampant. Spotting a piece of plastic on the ground, she picks it up, discovering it to be the weathered remains of Professor Miles' ID badge. Out of nowhere, a decayed and rotting corpse lunges at her from the ground, only for her to wake up from what turns out to have also been a nightmare.*)**

 _ **~Did we crawl to salvation,**_

 _ **Make it this far just to bank our way back down?~**_

 **(*Back in the real world, the Rangers are in an intense unmorphed-fight with a Metaloid, and the odds are heavily stacked against them. Struggling back to their feet, the six brandish their morphers and activate them, transforming into their Ranger forms before charging back into battle.*)**

 _ **~Cuz this is a fight to break the silence,**_

 _ **These are the lies we make to try to hold ourselves up, now!~**_

 **(*Graham continues to lead his team as they take on a newly summoned batch of Buglars, who have assembled to guard the Metaloid they are fighting. Seeing brief glimpses of his mother in the back of mind, Graham brushes them off, not letting them distract him as he keeps on fighting.*)**

 _ **~The pull of the tide is always quiet,**_

 _ **But this is a fight to take one more breath before we drown!~**_

 **(*Using a combined finisher, the Rangers take out the Metaloid, which Enter subsequently revives, enabling said Metaloid to pilot the giant robot that is then sent from Hyperspace. Summoning their Zords, they form the Artillery Rush in order to fight it. Seeing this, Enter simply scoffs, turning away as the scene fades from view and the logo of the show appears; the song ends moments later as the opening comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Opening Theme: "Ghosts in the Water" by Arrows to Athens***

* * *

 **Episode 21: Proving Ground**

"Recognized: Nate, B-07."

"Recognized: Shawn, B-08."

"Recognized: Tanner, B-09."

"Man, that was _so_ awesome!" Shawn hollered, as he, Nate, and Tanner stepped out of the teleporter. Pumping his fist as his mouth formed into a childish grin, he continued with, "Those Buglars didn't even know what hit 'em! And Candleloid? He was tough, but we were tougher!"

"You got that right," Tanner said with a laugh, high-fiving his silver counterpart. "That thing you did with the water-tank was crazy, I can't believe you tricked him into putting out his own flame!"

"Are you kidding?! I wouldn't have even known it was there if it hadn't been for you, man!" Shawn boomed. "Good job getting knocked into it, little dude!"

"Thanks...I guess," Stretching his arms above his head, Tanner felt his bones snap softly. Turning to Nate, he said, "What do you think, Nate? We did a good job, right?"

"Yeah, you did." Nate said with a smile. He then decided to tease his younger teammate by saying, "Good job, buddy."

"Buddy?" Tanner questioned, tilting his head. "I'm fourteen, not eight."

"Relax, I'm just messing with you," Nate said with a smirk. Turning to look at Shawn, he said, "I wonder how the others did..."

"Recognized: Graham, B-06."

"Recognized: Colleen, B-05."

"Man, that fight was tough..." Graham groaned, rubbing the back of his shoulder with a bit of a grimace on his face.

"You can say that again," Colleen replied as she twisted her head around, trying to remove a crick from her neck. "I almost didn't think we would make it."

"Hey guys," Tanner greeted. Bounding up to his brother, he said, "How'd it go?"

"Fanloid almost blew us off the roof to our deaths. Luckily, Colleen managed to take him out with a Snapshot Strike before he could," Turning to his yellow counterpart, Graham gave her a small smile before adding, "Nice shot, by the way,"

"Thanks," Colleen replied with a smile of her own, a small blush forming on her face. Turning to look at Nate and Shawn, she said, "How'd it go with you guys?"

"Candleloid nearly barbecued me," Nate told her. "I would've been toast if it wasn't for Shawn and Tanner."

"Hard to believe they're sending out more than one Metaloid at a time, huh?" Colleen mused. Turning to look at the teleporter, she said, "Speaking of which, I wonder if Colin and Sonia are okay..."

"Recognized: Colin, B-04."

"Recognized: Sonia, B-10."

"Well, that was a disaster..." Sonia grumbled, as she and Colin stepped out of the teleporter.

"Tough fight, huh?" Graham questioned, glancing over at Colin.

"Not at all," His blue counterpart replied. "It was easy."

" _Too easy,"_ Sonia added, her mouth forming into a bit of a scowl. "The Metaloid was literally the size of an eraser, Colin was able to take it out with one little poke of his Spy-Saber."

"...Huh," Graham said rather awkwardly, stroking his chin. "Well that's new..."

"And if you think that was bad, get a load of this-Eraserloid didn't even damage anything when he exploded!" Sonia exclaimed. "He literally just went 'poof' and left a tiny black spot on the table."

"Well, at least your first mission went well," Shawn said optimistically.

"Pfft, it was barely a mission," Sonia replied, rolling her eyes. "I think Dad did this on purpose."

"I severely doubt that Sonia. There's no way your dad knew how weak Eraserloid was gonna be," Graham countered. "All he knew was that there was a Metaloid on the loose in the school, and he sent you and Colin to deal with it while we dealt with the other two. It was just a coincidence."

"I guess..." Sonia replied. "I don't know, I still feel like Dad's trying to coddle me."

"Relax, Sone, Logan didn't do this on purpose. There's no way he could have," Colin said, patting her shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure your next mission will be a _lot_ more exciting."

* * *

"Are you _serious?!_ " Sonia squelched, as she, Nate, and Shawn walked across a downtown street corner, cleaning up debris from a previous Ranger battle. Scoffing in slight disgust as she scooped up some burnt trash with a metal poker, she added, "Since when is clean-up duty part of our job?"

"Hey, being a Ranger is about more than just flashy weapons and playing superhero," Nate pointed out as he utilized his telekinesis, lifting up heavy chunks of scrap metal and placing them into a nearby trash bin. "It's about being a responsible citizen. We make a mess, we gotta clean it up."

"I guess you have a point..." The Pink Ranger sighed.

"Dude, no way!" Shawn hollered out of nowhere, prompting the two to drop what they were doing and jog over to him. Bending over, the Silver Ranger scooped up a discarded piece of green paper before lifting it up and saying, "I found a hundred dollar bill! _Sweet_!"

" _That_ goes in lost and found, not your pocket," Nate said matter-of-factly, quickly scooping the currency out of his brother's hand. This earned him a dirty look from the Silver Ranger, prompting him to add, "Remember, Shawn, we're responsible citizens. It'd be wrong for us to take something like this when it doesn't belong to us."

"Yeah, but...okay, you're right..." Shawn relented, letting out a defeated sigh.

 _Hopefully our next mission is a little more exciting…_ Sonia thought to herself as she shook some of the trash off of her poker and placed it into the trash bin.

* * *

"Bank robbers?" A morphed Sonia said, as she and Tanner stood behind a metal barricade they'd set up on the street. "You're joking, right?"

"Hey, armed robbery is a serious problem in the city," The younger boy pointed out. Pressing a button on his Transpod, he materialized his Spy-Saber V2 in its binocular form. As he used the gadget to get a better view of the bank entrance, Tanner continued with, "I know we have superpowers, but that doesn't mean we should underestimate petty criminals."

"I suppose you're right," Sonia replied, summoning her own Spy-Saber V2 in order to get a better view of the bank. Seeing the doors open to reveal a trio of bank robbers, she said, "Here they come."

Sprinting into the street only to skid to a halt once he saw the barricade, the leader of the robbers said, "What the-? Power Rangers?! What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" Tanner asked, playing dumb. This visibly annoyed the robber, who turned around and quickly gestured to the other two.

Waiting until the other two joined him, the leader of the robbers said, "Johnny, Mason, get a load of this! The Power Rangers are here!"

"What? No way!" The second robber exclaimed, letting out a bit of a chuckle. Turning to look at the two Rangers, he said, "Shouldn't you be out fighting those weird robots or whatever?"

" _No, apparently they're really busy this week..."_ Sonia muttered under her breath, folding her arms.

"What'd you say?" The third robber said, scrunching up his nose. "You're not sassing us, are you? Jack, I think she's sassing us!"

"I think she is, Mason. Look pinky, we don't have time for this, alright?" Gesturing towards a worn out van parked a few yards behind the barricade, Jack continued with, "We've got a buttload of cash and we need to load it into the getaway van so we can go home, kapische? So I suggest you and your little green friend here move out of the way and let us through."

"Sorry, no can do," Tanner said. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Law's the law, man."

" _Pfft, law's the law._ You think you're funny, huh, punk-ass?! Johnny, Mason, ice these bitches!"

"Already on it, boss!"

With that, the two robbers aimed at Tanner and Sonia and opened fire, unleashing a burst of bullets from their sub-machine guns. Reacting quickly, the Green and Pink Rangers dodged the gunfire using their respective powers before knocking the two gunmen out cold with a single blow. Seeing this, the lead robber dropped his gun and the bag of his money he was carrying. He then began to slowly back up, clearly afraid of the two super powered teens.

"A-Alright, alright, you win!" He stammered. "I surrender, just don't hurt me- _please_!"

Hearing this, Tanner raised his fist like he was about to punch him, prompting the robber to turn tail and run as fast as he could. Before he could get very far, the lead robber ran right into an approaching police car, causing him to trip and fall as the cops inside stopped the car and hopped out.

"Police! Freeze!" The driver of the cop car said, pointing his gun at the lead robber and keeping it trained on him as his partner worked on hand-cuffing him. "You're under arrest!"

With that, all three robbers were swiftly arrested and placed into the back of the cop car. Running up to the barricade, one of the cops said, "Thank you so much for your help, Rangers. We've been after these guys for months, we couldn't have bagged 'em without you!"

Shrugging his shoulders, Tanner said, "It was nothing,"

" _Pfft. Tell me about it,"_ Sonia muttered. " _Can these missions get any worse?"_

* * *

"... _Okay, this is just freaking ridiculous."_ Sonia muttered under her breath, scowling underneath her helmet as she looked up at a tabby cat dangling helplessly from a tree.

Tugging on the skirt of her Ranger suit, a little boy said, "Please help my Rusty down, Pink Ranger! He's scared!"

 _Man, this is SUCH a drag…_ Sonia thought to herself.

Sensing her pink counterpart's lack of enthusiasm, a morphed Colleen patted the little boy on the head and said, "Don't worry, kid. I've got this."

With that, the Yellow Ranger vaulted into the air, using her super-agility to swoop Rusty out of the tree and then glide back down to the ground gracefully. Once she landed, she handed the cat to the little boy, saying, "Here ya go."

"Thanks, Yellow Ranger!" The little boy exclaimed gratefully. Cradling the cat in his arms, he patted him on the head and said, "Did you see that, Rusty? The Yellow Ranger saved you! Can you say 'Thank you'?"

" _Meow_ ," Rusty purred, no doubt just glad to be back on the ground.

"Thanks again!" The boy said with a wave, turning around in order to walk home. As Colleen waved back, Sonia simply shook her head in disbelief.

" _Is it just me or is Ranger duty a lot like community service?"_ She muttered to herself.

* * *

"Recognized: Colleen, B-05."

"Recognized: Sonia, B-10."

Lighting up the instant he saw his sister and Sonia step out of the teleporter, Colin walked up to them and said, "Hey, Sone! How'd it go?"

"Oh, it was just _wonderful_ ," Sonia said sarcastically, folding her arms as her mouth formed into a bit of a scowl. "If you thought exterminating a pathetically-tiny robot, picking up trash, and stopping a bank robbery were exciting, just wait until you hear about how Colleen and I helped a cat out of a tree!"

"...Another boring mission, huh?" Seeing her nod in confirmation, the Blue Ranger said, "I'm sorry,"

"Don't be, it isn't your fault." She told him. "You're not the one treating me like a kid,"

Hearing this, Colleen chimed in with, "Sonia, you're not saying that Dad is doing this on purpose, are you?"

"Actually that's exactly what I'm saying. He _has_ to be doing this on purpose."

"Sonia, that's absurd." Nate countered, having overheard the conversation so far from his seat in the Common Area. Crossing the room in order to insert himself into the conversation, he added, "Look, I know you're not a fan of these mundane assignments, but we all have to do them at some point. It's like I said the other day, being a Ranger isn't all about being a superhero. Sometimes, it's a little boring."

"Well, I don't really _want_ boring," Sonia spat. "I _want_ my Dad to take off the stupid kid gloves and realize I can take care of my-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a familiar voice cut her off, saying, "-Something wrong, pumpkin?"

Turning around, the Pink Ranger spotted her father as he walked up to her, appearing rather oblivious to what was going on. Placing her hands on her hips, she replied with, "Actually yeah, Dad, there is."

Stomping her way over to him, Sonia continued with, "What's the deal with you treating me like a baby? Huh?"

"Baby?" Captain Shields asked, feigning confusion. "What do you-?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Dad. Okay? I'm not a little girl anymore, I can tell when you're trying to pull a fast one on me." Gesturing over to the others, she said, "Now, look at them. Do you treat them like children?"

"I mean technically you're _all_ still children but no, I don't." Furrowing his eyebrows, Logan continued with, "Is this about the last few assignments I gave you? If it is, I'm sorry. There hasn't been a lot of Vaglass activity this week."

"Okay, let's just pretend that I buy that. What about when there is?" Sonia questioned, glaring up at him. "Are you gonna give me real missions then, or are you gonna keep being overprotective?"

"Sonia, I-"

"Save it, Dad! You can't just hold me back like this!"

"I'm your father, you have no right to tell me what I can and can't do!" Logan shouted, having lost his patience.

"I'm not daddy's little girl anymore!" Sonia shouted back. "I can do this, you just have to give me a-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a klaxon blared throughout the base, prompting the other Rangers to stand up from their seats.

Emerging from the Command Room with her tablet in hand, Lieutenant Rose said, "Captain, I'm receiving reports of mysterious activity at a local business park!"

"What kind of activity?" The Captain asked, not breaking eye-contact with his daughter.

"Electrical surges, missing employees. Looks like textbook Vaglass mischief, sir."

"Understood. Thank you, Lieutenant." Once Alicia returned to the Command Room, Logan began to stroke his chin, and a small smirk formed on his face, almost as if he had an idea. Turning his attention back to Sonia, he said, "You want me to stop coddling you? Fine. There's a Metaloid out there right now, and I'm sending you _to_ fight it- _alone_."

"Woah woah woah, are you sure that's the best idea, Logan?" Colin asked, glancing at Sonia with a look of extreme worry in his eyes.

Speaking up, Tanner said, "CV has a point, sir. I'm sure she can handle herself, but sending her to fight a Metaloid alone is more or less a death sentence."

"Sending _any_ of us to fight alone is, really," Nate added.

"...Fine. Graham, you'll go with her." Captain Shields said, turning to look at the Red Ranger as he stood in front of one of the couches. It was evident from his facial expression that this entire situation was making him feel slightly uncomfortable. Ignoring this, Logan added, "Make sure she doesn't get herself killed."

"Uh, yes sir," Graham replied, giving his commanding officer a rather awkward salute. _So much for getting home before curfew...and I promised Aunt Tammy I'd be home in time for dinner. Guess that's not happening, now..._

* * *

And so, Graham and Sonia headed out for the business park, driving there on Cheetah Nick's motorcycle mode. Pulling into the parking lot, Graham slowed the bike to a halt, taking his foot off of the gas.

"Well, this is the place," He said, stepping off of the bike and quickly removing his helmet.

"It would appear so," Sonia replied, hopping off of the bike and removing her helmet. Forming her mouth into a mischievous grin, she lightly elbowed the Red Ranger before saying, "Hey, I bet you thought my sister would be the first girl to ride your bike, huh?"

Blushing bright red at this statement, Graham looked at her and said, "Okay, three things. Firstly, I've given her a ride on a mission before. Secondly, I'm not really sure what you're getting at. And thirdly-

"-You can drop the act. I've seen the way you look at her." Slapping him lightly on the back, she continued with, "Don't worry, I won't rat you out. You secret's safe with me."

"Uh, thanks...I guess. Look, we need to focus, okay?" Scanning their surroundings, he explained, "Lieutenant Rose said there's a Metaloid somewhere around here, and we need to find it. Nick, you keep an eye on the parking lot. Sonia and I will check inside."

Nick swiftly transformed into his robot mode and gave his human counterpart a salute, saying, "I'm on it!"

Giving his Buddy-Roid a small nod, Graham turned and gestured over to Sonia, saying, "Alright, follow my lead,"

* * *

Graham and Sonia burst through the front doors of the office building, taking a fighting stance as if they expected a fight the second they entered the lobby. However, much to their surprise, the lobby was completely empty. Even more perplexingly, the interior of the building was almost pitch black.

"Well that's weird...all the lights are off," Sonia observed, scratching her head. Turning to Graham, she said, "You think that has something to do with those electrical surges Alicia was talking about?"

"Probably. I'm more concerned with the lack of employees," The Red Ranger told her. "The Lieutenant mentioned some of them had gone missing, but this place is a total ghost town."

Looking around, Sonia replied with, "You're right...maybe the Metaloid took them hostage?"

"I wouldn't put it past him. Metaloids never play fair." Pulling his phone out of his pocket and activating its flashlight, Graham continued with, "We need to sweep the entire building. C'mon, follow me."

With that, he and his pink counterpart moved past the lobby and began searching the first floor for any signs of life. All the while, they remained completely oblivious to the security cameras, which a shadowy figure had tapped into and was now using to spy on them from the security office.

"So the Power Rangers have come to play, huh?" The figure said to himself, his voice deep and metallic. "Goody...this should be interesting."

Reaching his arm out towards the wall, the figure discharged a wave of electricity, which sunk into the wall and began surging throughout the rest of the building. Turning his attention back to the security feed, the figure watched in satisfaction as the structure of the office began to visibly shift and change.

* * *

"Well, doesn't look like there's anyone out here..." Cheetah Nick said to himself as he stood in the parking lot, scanning his surroundings for any signs of the Metaloid. Finding himself somewhat distracted by the sky as the sun slowly began to set, the Buddy-Roid continued with, "Man, it sure is beautiful outside..."

The robot spent the next few moments admiring the sunset. Out of nowhere, he heard a loud rumbling noise of some sort originating from the office building, prompting him to immediately turn his head to look that way.

"What the-?" Watching as the exterior of the building began to shift, he ran towards the front door, saying, "I'd better go warn those two!"

* * *

"Alright, this hallway's clear," Graham hollered to Sonia, poking his head out of a room at the end of the hall. Cupping his hands to his mouth to amplify his voice, he said, "How are things are your end?"

"I'm not seeing anything, either!" Sonia replied, emerging from a room at the end of the adjacent hallway. "Looks like this floor's empty, too."

"Weird," Graham mused, stroking his chin. "This is the third floor we've checked; you'd think at some point we'd at least find signs of a struggle..."

Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise filled the air, and the floor beneath their feet began to shake, startling the two teenagers immensely. Struggling to keep her balance, Sonia shouted, "What's going on?!"

"Guys!" A very familiar voice shouted, sounding as if it was originating from the floor below them. "Guys, are you okay?!"

" _Nick?_ " Sonia said in confusion, recognizing the voice almost instantly. Turning back to Graham, she questioned him, saying, "Didn't you tell him to stay outside?"

"Yeah, I did...Nick, is that you?" Cupping his hands to his mouth in order to amplify his voice again, he continued with, "What's going on? Why'd you come inside?"

"Something's happening to the building, Graham!" Nick warned, his voice growing quieter as if the distance between them was slowly growing further and further. "It's...shifting!"

"Shifting?" Scrunching up his nose in confusion, the Red Ranger shook his head and said, "Hang on bud, we're coming to get ya!"

After motioning for his pink counterpart to follow him, Graham made his way towards the exit and opened the door to the stairwell. Stepping inside, he stopped dead in his tracks-something was off.

Noticing that he'd stopped, Sonia slipped in behind him. Almost immediately, she opened her mouth and spoke, saying, "Uh...didn't these stairs used to go down?"

"That must be what Nick was talking about," Graham realized. "C'mon, let's try the elevator,"

Hearing this, the girl nodded in agreement, and together the two went back onto the floor they'd just left and headed for the elevator. Pressing the button to call the elevator, the Red Ranger waited for it to come. Once the doors opened up, he slipped inside, once again motioning for his pink counterpart to follow. Reaching for the control panel inside the elevator, Sonia pushed the button for the 2nd floor, causing the doors to slide shut as the elevator fired back up.

Noticing right away that the elevator was going up and not down, her red counterpart looked at her and said, "Why are we going up? Did you press the wrong button?"

"What? No," The Pink Ranger quickly glanced at the panel in order to confirm she was telling the truth. Satisfied, she turned back towards Graham and said, "See, I pressed the right one."

"Huh...okay, this is starting to kinda freak me out," He admitted, just as the elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open to reveal a new floor. Poking his head out to see that there were no offices, doors, or even lights, he added, "...Yeah it's official, I'm genuinely freaked out right now."

Tapping her chin for a couple seconds, Sonia came to a realization. Snapping her fingers, she exclaimed, "The Metaloid! He did this!"

"Excellent work, pinky!" The same metallic voice from earlier announced from the building's intercom system, echoing off of the walls. "My name is Mazeloid, and this is my-"

"-Maze?" Sonia guessed. Letting out a bit of a chuckle, she continued with, "I hate to break this to you pal, but that's not enough to stop us. It might work on rats, but Metahumans? Not so much."

"Silly child...you really need to learn not to underestimate your opponent." With that, Mazeloid let out a chuckle of his own. Meanwhile, the unmistakable sound of Buglars approaching filled the chamber.

As the robotic footsoldiers made their way towards the two, Mazeloid spoke again, saying, "You've probably already guessed this Red, but your Pink friend seems like she needs me to spell it out for you. You're not alone down there."

"Yeah I kinda figured," Graham scoffed. Watching the squadron of Buglars as they finally reached him and his pink counterpart, he turned to face her before saying, "Time to run, Sonia!"

"Run?" The Pink Ranger asked in confusion, following her red counterpart as he ran behind a nearby wall nonetheless. " _Why_? They're just Buglars,"

"Yes, but we're not at full strength with just the two of us," He pointed out as he turned the corner and began leading her down a long corridor. "We're also in a foreign environment, so a tactical retreat is our best option."

"Okay, but...now what?" She replied, panting a bit as she pushed herself to the limits in order to keep in with her red counterpart; he was an incredibly fast runner, even when he wasn't using his superspeed. "What's our next course of action?"

"I don't know...come up with a good strategy to beat those Buglars," He suggested. "Or even better, find a way to bypass them entirely and focus on getting out of this maze. Nick is still trapped downstairs, and I have a feeling Mazeloid's holding the employees hostage wherever he's hiding."

"Probably..." Sonia said as they turned around corner; she sounded like she was starting to run out of breath. Ignoring the pain in her sides as she followed Graham into an upcoming intersection, she said, "Can...we take a break…? I'm...getting tired..."

Mentally weighing this request in his head for a few seconds, Graham shook his head and replied, "Not just yet, we should put a bit more distance between us and those Buglars. Hang in there, you can make it."

"If you...say so," Sonia heaved, following him as he took a right and continued dashing further into the maze. "I sure hope...Nick is doing...okay..."

* * *

"Guys…?" Nick called out, his hands cupped to his face as he attempted to call out to his human counterparts. "Guys?! You still there?!"

Not receiving any answer, the Buddy-Roid gave up, instead resolving to meet them halfway. Making his way to the second floor's exit door, he opened it and stepped into the stairwell, expecting to see a staircase leading upwards. Instead, he only saw one set of stairs that went down, along with another one above his head that went up but in the opposite direction, almost as if it was the normal up stairs but had been moved around, somehow…

"...Scrap, looks like the stairs aren't an option anymore. No wonder they're not down here yet." Thinking about it for a few seconds, he added, "Wait a sec, couldn't they have just used the elevator?"

As soon as he said this, the elevator emitted an audible 'ding', instantly grabbing his attention.

"Hey, that must be them!" The Buddy-Roid exclaimed, rushing over to the elevator in order to greet his human counterparts. As the doors swung open, he said, "Finally! I was starting to get really worri-"

Nick's voice trailed off mid-sentence, as he realized that the elevator was not carrying Graham and Sonia; rather, standing inside was a small squadron of Buglars! Spotting the Buddy-Roid, the robotic footsoldiers aimed their weapons at him and opened fire, prompting him to duck out of the way just in time.

"Waaaaa!" He shouted, turning the corner and running down a nearby hallway as fast as he could. The Buglars immediately began to pursue him, chasing him down the hall and firing more energy-blasts at him. Transforming back into his motorcycle mode, Nick revved up his engine and pushed himself to the end of the hall, drifting around the corner right at the last second. This subsequently caused his pursuers to dumbly slam straight into the wall and fall onto their backs.

Seeing this, Nick laughed before saying, "You Buglars sure are stupid, huh? Guess that's what happens when you build an army of robots on the cheap,"

Right as he said this, the Buddy-Roid turned another corner and immediately skidded to a halt-waiting for him on the other end of the hallway was another squadron of Buglars with their weapons at the ready. As they aimed at him and fired, he transformed back into robot mode and clumsily veered to the right, narrowly dodging the incoming energy-blasts as he ducked into a nearby room.

"Well great," He said to himself, shutting the door behind him before turning around to study his current environment. "I'm stuck in a tiny office with Buglars breathing down my neck, and meanwhile, Graham and Sonia are god-knows-where and I can't do anything to help them. Could this _get_ any worse?"

Feeling the floor beneath him suddenly begin to shake, Nick tilted his head in confusion. Looking down, he saw a large crack ripple through the carpet, and a few seconds later the floor gave way, causing him to fall down a dark chasm of some sort.

As he felt himself fall further and further down, the Buddy-Roid said to himself, "I shouldn't have said thatttttttttttt…!"

* * *

"...Alright, we should be good," Graham said to Sonia, suddenly coming to a halt as they reached yet another intersection in the maze. Turning around, he watched as she immediately doubled over and began trying to catch her breath. Letting out a light chuckle, he teased her by saying, "You're really worn out, huh?"

Letting out a chuckle of her own once she regained her breath, Sonia replied with, "Yeah well not everyone can be as fast as you, speedy. Speaking of which, how are you not on the Track Team? You'd think you'd a shoo-in,"

"Maybe so, but I don't think anyone at school has ever seen me run. Besides, I'm not really popular enough to be a jock," Reaching into his messenger bag and pulling out a water bottle, he took a quick sip before holding it towards Sonia and adding, "Want a drink?"

"Sure. Thanks," Sonia said, catching the bottle as he gently tossed it to her. After taking a sip, she watched in amusement as Graham pulled a candy bar out of his bag and took a bite of it. "What's with all the drinks and snacks? Do you normally picnic during missions?"

"No, I just like to keep this stuff handy in case Colleen-" Catching himself, Graham backpedaled a bit, saying, "I-I mean, in case anyone needs it. Y'know my metabolism is way faster than a normal person's because of how my power works, and Tanner gets hungry sometimes, too. And don't even get me _started_ on Shaw-"

"You're always looking out for the rest of the team," Sonia observed, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I really admire that about you. You're a good leader...and if you ever work up the nerve to tell Colleen how you feel, you'll make a good boyfriend too,"

"I'm pretty sure that would require her liking me back," The Red Ranger pointed out, a small blush forming on his face.

"Trust me, she does," Sonia countered. "Just take your time and don't rush things, you don't wanna screw things up. Don't wait too long, though."

"So don't go too fast...don't go too slow...got it," Wanting to change the subject, Graham said, "Anyway, enough about that. Why don't you tell me why you're so upset with your dad?"

"I...I'm not," Sonia sighed. "Or at least, not _just_ him...I'm just annoyed, I guess. I mean, I became a famous singer at the age of twelve. For years I basically got everything I wanted without lifting a finger, and I don't know, it just...I want to prove I can hang, y'know? I'm not just some spoiled little girl,"

"No one ever said you were," Graham replied. Seeing her mouth form into a small frown, he continued with, "Or did they?"

Looking down at her feet, Sonia let out a sad sigh before replying, "This girl named Dahlia and her friends ganged up on me after Homeroom, apparently they were pissed because everyone else was being so nice to me? Anyway, she basically told me that people only wanted to be nice to me because I was famous, and then she said I should go back to LA because I'll never make it in the real world."

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about Dahlia Steinmann, would you?" Seeing Sonia nod her head, Graham continued with, "Yeah, she's a notorious bully. Which is fitting, because she's dating Matthew Holmes, the biggest jerk in the whole school. Anyway, just ignore her."

"I'm trying to, but...what if she's right?" Sonia asked, looking up at Graham with a sad look in her eyes. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this after all,"

"That's not-" The Red Ranger began, stopping mid-sentence as he heard a strange sound echoing from nearby. Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, he looked to his pink counterpart and said, "Do you hear that?"

"It's Nick!" The Pink Ranger replied, not even missing a beat. Hopping up to her feet, the girl gestured over to Graham, saying, "C'mon, this way!"

With that, she took off, prompting Graham to bound after her. Turning the corner, the two ran down a nearby hallway, and the sound Graham had heard grew clearer and clearer.

Eventually, they ran into a dead end; the hallway split off into another intersection, but this one had a large gap in the floor which made it impossible to move on.

However, the noise Graham had heard was very clear now, and as it grew louder, he recognized Nick's voice.

" _Woooooooooooooah!"_ The Buddy-Roid shouted, as he flew up through the gap in the floor and landed in front of the two with a loud thud.

"Nick!" The Red Ranger exclaimed, rushing over to the robot's side. After ensuring that he had not been damaged, he turned to Sonia and said, "How did you hear him from that far away?"

"I...don't know." Sonia said truthfully. "I just...did."

"Huh...wait, I know!" Snapping his fingers, Graham continued with, "That must be one of your Meta-abilities!"

"Uh, that's really uh...fascinating," Sonia replied awkwardly, a look of worry forming on her face. "We'll have to talk about it later, though..."

Tilting his head in confusion, Graham turned his attention towards the end of the hallway and was just in time to see an approaching squadron of Buglars. Realizing that retreating was no longer an option, he brandished his morpher, prompting Sonia to do the same.

"You ready?" He asked her.

"You bet I am!" She said enthusiastically. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: Spy-Busters!" The two hollered in unison, performing the necessary steps to morph.

After morphing into his ranger suit, Graham went one step further and activated his Buddy Visor, fusing with Nick to enter his Buddy Armor Mode. Meanwhile, Sonia simply pressed the button on her Transpod, summoning her Spy-Saber V2 and gripping it tightly in both hands.

"Alright, let's do this!" The Pink Ranger hollered, leaping headfirst into combat without a moment's hesitation.

"Um...is it just me, or does she seem a bit too excited?" Graham asked, hanging back a bit and taking out the occasional Buglar with his Spy-Blaster.

"Cut her some slack. When you first became a Ranger, you were pretty excitable too." Nick pointed out, his face lighting up on Graham's chest-plate.

"Fair enough," Graham shrugged, swapping his Spy-Blaster with his Spy-Saber before joining the fray himself.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Back at HQ…_

Inside the Command Room, Captain Shields and the others were sitting around, waiting for the Red and Pink Rangers to return. An awkward silence filled the room, and the only noise that could be heard was the sound of a rubber ball hitting the floor as Colin and Shawn absentmindedly bounced it back and forth.

"Well, it sure has been awhile..." Tanner said quietly, breaking the silence. "I wonder how they're doing…"

"Maybe they're dead," Shawn joked, immediately gaining the ire of the Green Ranger.

"Don't say that!" Tanner growled, catching the ball in mid-air and lightly throwing it at Shawn's head.

"Ow..." The Silver Ranger whined, rubbing his forehead in slight pain. "Relax, I was only kidding..."

With a shake of his head, Nate spoke up for the first time in several minutes, saying, "As much as I hate to say it, Shawn brings up a really good point. Sending them to fight by themselves was a mistake."

As Shawn scooped the ball up off the floor and bounced it back in Colin's direction, Colleen chimed in with, "It's not like none of us have ever fought a Metaloid while outnumbered, though. I mean, Colin and Shawn managed to fight off Freezerloid for a long time before we showed up and rescued them, and Graham and I held our own against Tubaloid while you guys were all mind-controlled."

"That was different though, sis." Colin countered, catching the ball as it bounced over to him before rolling it Shawn's way. "We knew what we were up against-we sent Sonia in blind."

"Maybe so, but she has Graham with her." Tanner pointed out. "There's no way the mission can go south with him there...right?"

"I...I don't know. I'd like to think so, but the anxious part of me has a feeling that this time even Graham might be outmatched," Colin told him. "And Sonia, she-"

"Stop!" Colleen interjected, cutting her brother off mid-sentence with a mild slap. Waiting until he turned and glared at her, she said, "You're stronger than this, Colin, I know you are! You're my brother, and you never give up- _ever!_ Now listen to me, Graham and Sonia are alive, I know they are!"

"But what if they aren't?!" Colin yelled, clenching his fist so hard that his knuckles turned white. As a single tear rolled down his cheek, he added, " _What...what if she died and I wasn't there to help her…?_

Holding out her arms, Colleen caught her twin as he collapsed. Hugging him tightly, she patted him on the back and said, "Don't worry Colin, she'll be okay. I promise...I promise..."

Hearing this from his desk, Captain Shields turned to Lieutenant Rose and said, "Their morale is starting to go down the drain. Lieutenant, can you reach their comms?"

"I'm trying my best sir, but I'm not having any luck. There seems to be some sort of interference," She replied. As she typed a series of commands into the keyboard of her computer, she continued with, "I can trust and boost the signal, but it might not help."

"Do it." The Captain told her. "We need to know what's going on."

"I'm on it, sir."

"Good." Standing up from his seat, the Captain turned to his left and said, "Lieutenant Woods, you're in charge. Try and keep the Rangers in line."

"Wait, in charge…? Sir, are you going somewhere?" Lieutenant Woods questioned. "Sir, what are you doing?"

Opening up his desk door and reaching inside to procure a laser-pistol, Captain Shields replied with, "What I should've done in the first place. I'll be back, Martin."

With that, the Captain holstered the pistol and then left, grabbing his jacket on the way out. Seeing this, the Rangers began murmuring and whispering to eachother, while Lieutenant Woods just stared at the door in awe.

 _He's going into the field? I've never seen him go out into the field, before..._

* * *

"...take that!" Sonia shrieked as she stabbed one of the last few Buglars in the chest with her Spy-Saber V2. Pulling the blade out of the robot in order to stab it two more times, she continued with, "And that, andddddd that!"

Pulling her blade out of the robot once more, she grabbed it by the shoulders and then kneed it in the stomach before letting go, sending it falling to the floor. Lifting up her leg, she delivered a final stomp to its back, causing it to spark as its systems crashed and it ceased functioning.

"Remind me to never tick you off," Graham said with a nervous chuckle, seeming rather surprised at his pink counterpart's ferocity.

"Just another reason for you to be glad I'm on your side," Sonia replied, smirking underneath her helmet. Turning to look at the remaining trio of Buglars, she said, "If you thought that was impressive, check this out!"

Whipping out her Spy-Blaster V2, Sonia aimed it slightly above the Buglars and then fired, causing an energy-blast to soar right by their heads. Turning their heads to look at the stray projectile, the robotic footsoldiers were completely caught off-guard when the Pink Ranger flew right into them. Stabbing the middle Buglar with her Spy-Saber, she killed it instantly before back-flipping away.

The two surviving Buglars aimed their blasters at the girl and prepared to fire, but she was one step ahead of them. Chucking her Spy-Saber at the right Buglar like it was a throwing knife, she watched as it sunk into its head, killing it instantly. Before the left one had time to react, she ran up and shot it point-blank in the chest with her Spy-Blaster, causing it to explode.

"Alright! Another one bites the dust!" She hollered, hopping up to her feet and pumping her fist in excitement. Turning to look at Graham, she added, "What do you think? Not too bad for a rookie, huh?"

Before the Red Ranger could respond, a familiar voice rang out over the intercom, saying, "I wouldn't get too cocky if I were you, Pink Ranger."

"Mazeloid!" Graham shouted, clenching his fist. Looking up at a security camera in the corner of the ceiling, he continued with, "I hope you're ready, because we're coming for you!"

"You wanna fight me that badly?" Letting out an ominous chuckle, the Metaloid added, "Very well."

As soon as he said this, a loud rumbling sound echoed throughout the maze, and the walls and floors of the office building began to shift and change once more. As the floor beneath her gave way, Sonia slipped and fell, tumbling down into a hole that was being formed.

"Woah!" She hollered, finding herself unable to use her flight ability in the panic. Running into a slide, Graham grabbed her by the arm, barely catching her before she fell.

"Gotcha!" He said through gritted teeth, pulling her up right as the rumbling noise faded way and the shifting ceased. "Woah..."

Looking around, the two Rangers marveled at their new surroundings-as opposed to a neat, square-shaped maze made up of hallways, they now found themselves in a random and jagged arena made up of walls lined with mirrors.

The area had gotten bigger, too-it might've been due to the fact that this maze was far more open or that the mirrors gave off the effect that it never ended, but this new maze was enormous.

Coming back on the intercom, Mazeloid said, "Make yourselves comfortable...I'll be right there."

* * *

 _Alright, looks like this is the place…_ Captain Shields thought to himself as he pulled into the parking lot of the business park. Spotting a trio of Buglars standing outside of one of the office buildings, he stroked his chin whilst thinking, _Hmm, they seem to be guarding something...I wonder what it could be…_

Pulling into a parking space and slowly pushing down on the brake, Captain Shields put his car in park and took the key out of the ignition. Hopping out of the car, he proceeded to lock it before slipping his key-ring into his pocket and shutting the door.

"Hiya," The GPU Officer said to the lead Buglar as it turned its head just in time to see him approaching. Giving the robot a small smirk, he jokingly said, "You look busy."  
The Buglars responded to this by immediately aiming their weapons at him and preparing to fire. Feigning disappointment, the Captain said, "Y'know I was hoping we'd be able to resolve this without violence, but if that's the way you wanna play..."

Pulling the trigger, the lead Buglar fired an energy-blast directly at Logan, who quickly ducked to avoid the projectile. Before it had time to react, he caught it with a sharp uppercut, sending it falling to the ground and causing its weapon to fly out of its hands and spin through the air.

Catching the weapon as it arced downwards, Logan gripped it in his right hand and removed his laser pistol from its holster with his left. Ducking to avoid two more energy-blasts from the remaining pair of robots, he aimed his two weapons at them and pulled both triggers simultaneously, taking them both out with a single shot.

"Y'know, this thing actually isn't that bad," Logan mused to himself, closely examining the pistol he'd stolen from the lead Buglar as the other two fell to the ground and ceased to function. "I'm not really a duel-wielding kind of guy, though."

Noticing that the first Buglar was still alive, he quickly aimed at it and shot it in the head with its own weapon, killing it instantly.

"Yeah, this thing isn't really my style to be honest," He said to himself, weighing the weapon in his hand. "Then again, Doc'll probably wanna study it..."

Making up his mind, he holstered the Vaglass blaster and replaced it in his hand with his laser pistol. With that out of the way, he stepped over the three Buglars he'd just killed and opened up the door to the building they were guarding. He then made his way inside, making it a point to check his corners as he slowly skulked through the lobby.

* * *

"Woah..." Sonia mused to herself as she walked in a small circle, slowly taking in the new maze. Turning to Graham, she said, "This is a trip, huh? Kinda reminds me of a fun-house with all the mirrors."

"Yeah, sure," Graham replied rather absentmindedly, his mind clearly elsewhere. Listening closely to his surroundings, he tightened his grip on his Spy-Blaster before adding, "I think I hear something..."

Noticing a large energy-blast as it sailed towards them from the corner of the room, Cheetah Nick said, "Look out!"

Hearing this, the Red and Pink Rangers dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding the projectile. As they hopped back up to their feet, Mazeloid let out an evil cackle, which echoed throughout the maze and reverberated off of the walls of the chamber.

"I'm sorry, Rangers. Did I scare you?" Spotting him in one of the mirrors, Graham followed the Metaloid's reflection with his eyes in a futile attempt to pinpoint his location. Letting out another evil laugh, Mazeloid added, "If I haven't already, I promise I will soon."

Out of nowhere, another energy-blast flew into a mirror behind the two teens, shattering it and sending shards of glass everywhere.

Ducking to avoid the debris, Graham closed his eyes inside his helmet and began quietly reciting, " _The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."_

"Quoting Bible verses, huh? That seems like an odd choice," Mazeloid observed, launching another energy-blast at them from an unknown section of the room. "If I were you, I'm not sure I'd want my last words to be a bunch of meaningless dribble,"

After ducking out of the way of the energy-blast, Graham continued his recital with, " _Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff comfort me."_

"I get it! you're religious!" Mazeloid shouted in annoyance. "Jeez, change the tune, will ya?"

" _Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies,"_ Graham said as he dodged another one of Mazeloid's energy-blasts. Spotting the Metaloid standing behind a nearby mirror, he slowly crept towards it while adding, " _Thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth...over!"_

Diving to the left, Graham aimed his Spy-Blaster at Mazeloid and fired. The second the projectile came into contact with the Metaloid, his body vanished, revealing itself to be a hologram. Letting out a hearty laugh, the real Mazeloid fired an energy-blast at the Red Ranger's back, sending him flying halfway across the arena.

"Graham!" Sonia shouted in concern. Sprinting over to her red counterpart and kneeling down in front of him, she rolled him onto his back and said, "Are you okay?! Talk to me!"

"I...I'm fine," Graham groaned. Trying to lift his arm only to realize that he couldn't, he added, "My arm is broken, though. I hate to say this, but I think you're on your own..."

"What…?" She replied, a slight hint of panic in her voice. Shaking her head, she said, "I...I can't do this on my own. I'm not strong enough..."

"Hey...you wanted a chance to prove yourself, right?" Coughing a bit, Graham added, "So do it. Prove yourself."

"I..."

"I know you can do it. The question is...do you?"

"...I do." Standing up to her feet and clenching her fist tightly, Sonia said, "I know I can do it."

"Watch out for his hologram," Nick advised, his face lighting up on Graham's chest-piece. "That's how he got us."

"Right." Turning around and scanning her surroundings for any signs of danger, she mumbled, " _Here goes nothing..."_

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in the adjacent office building…_

Having made his way inside after taking out the three Buglars guarding the front door, Captain Shields skulked his way down the hall, making sure to keep quiet as he entered what was now enemy territory. After reaching the end of the hall, he heard some noise coming from around the corner, so he slowly pressed his back into the wall before poking his head out to peek.

Gathered in a large lounge around the corner were dozens of office employees, who no doubt had been captured from all over the business park and corralled into this room. They had all been tied up and gagged, and were now being held hostage by a squadron of Buglars numbering no larger than ten. In the center of the room, Logan spotted a large antenna of some sort, which he instantly recognized as-

 _A jammer!_ He thought to himself, ducking his head back into the hallway so that he wasn't spotted. _So that's why the Lieutenant couldn't reach Graham and Sonia...clever bastards. And they've got all the employees held hostage, too...well, no use in sitting around. It's go time!_

Jumping out from behind the corner, the Captain brandished his laser pistol and began firing at the Buglars, instantly taking out two of them and catching the attention of the other eight. The robotic footsoldiers promptly raised their weapons and rushed at the GPU officer, intending to strike him down. Reacting quickly, he aimed his pistol at one of his attackers and fired, shooting it point-blank in the head and killing it instantly. Turning around, he did the same to another Buglar before ducking down to avoid incoming swings from the other six.

Hopping back up to his feet, he caught one of the remaining robots off-guard with an elbow to the face. As it recoiled in pain, he extended his arm fully and shot it in the chest, causing it to spark uncontrollably as it fell to the floor. Seeing this, two of the five surviving Buglars lifted their weapons in order to strike him, but before they could he round-house kicked them both into a nearby wall, disorienting them long enough for him to shoot and kill them both.

Captain Shields then gestured over to his three remaining opponents, prompting them to blindly charge at him. Shooting one of them in the head, he ducked down and swept the second one's legs out from under it before shooting it in the head as well.  
Standing back up to his feet, Logan shot the final Buglar in the hand, sending its weapon falling to the ground and effectively leaving the robotic foot soldier unarmed. He was about to take it out once and for all, but stopped when he heard a lot of really loud noise originating from outside the room. Holstering his pistol, the Captain listened closely, and within moments he identified the familiar sound of metallic footsteps as more Buglars marched down a nearby hallway. Turning his attention back to the unarmed Buglar, Logan grabbed it and pulled it towards him. Turning the robot around, he wrapped his left arm around its neck and re-brandished his laser pistol with his right hand, effectively taking his foe hostage.

As a new squadron of Buglars burst into the lounge, he hollered at them, saying, "Hiya!"

* * *

Back in the maze of mirrors, Sonia was slowly searching the chamber for signs of Mazeloid. Gripping her Spy-Blaster tightly, she called out into the darkness, saying, "I'm not afraid of you, y'know! I'm not."

"Somehow I doubt that," Mazeloid replied, his voice echoing off of the walls. "You saw what I did to your friend. If you aren't afraid of me, you're either lying, or you're not particularly bright."

"You think you're clever, don't you? Using holograms...that's a dirty trick." Using her newfound ultra-hearing ability, she located her opponent. Aiming her weapon at him, she pulled the trigger, sending an energy-blast hurtling towards him while shouting, "And it won't work on me!"

"Evidently it will," Mazeloid taunted as the energy-blast phased through his body. This led Sonia to realize she had shot another hologram, which disappeared as the projectile slammed into a mirror behind it, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. "You're going to die here, Pink Ranger. It's only inevitable."

"We'll see about that!" Sonia hollered, firing at Mazeloid as she spotted him only to realize seconds later that it was another hologram. Turning around to see Mazeloid standing behind her, she shot him point blank and her target was again revealed to be yet another fake. Growing frustrated, she added, "You can't keep this up forever!"

"No, but I can keep I up long enough to kill you," Mazeloid countered. As soon as he said this, images of him began appearing all the maze, surrounding the Pink Ranger and prompting her to glance back and forth in an attempt to figure out which one was real. "I already told you, you're going to die here!"

Reaching down and grabbing something off of her belt, Sonia said, "That's what you think,"

With that, she thrust out her left arm, tossing dozens of small cylindrical objects in every direction. These objects rolled onto the floor and then exploded, shattering tons of mirrors which then sent several shards of glass flying through the air. Within moments, the shards of glass phased through all but one of the images, revealing them all to be holograms and simultaneously exposing the real Mazeloid.

"What? That's impossible!" The Metaloid roared in anger. "What were those?!"

"Mini explosives," The Pink Ranger said matter-of-factly, holding up one of the devices for her opponent to see. "Never leave HQ without 'em," **[1]**

"Why, you!" Charging up a large energy-blast in his hands, Mazeloid shouted, "I've had it! End of the line, bitch!"

"It is the end of the line...for you," Swapping out her Spy-Blaster for her Spy-Saber, she pressed the button on it before declaring, "Spy-Saber V2: Stakeout...SLASH!"

* * *

Meanwhile in the other office building, Captain Shields was in the midst of an intense firefight with the second squadron of Buglars. After finishing them off, he snapped the neck of the one he'd been holding hostage, dropping it to the floor and causing the office workers to look up at him hopefully.

"The room's clear!" Logan announced, holstering his laser pistol. Kneeling down in front of one of the hostages, he untied her before saying, "You're safe, now go untie the others. I have one last thing to take care of."

Standing back up to his feet, the Captain walked over to the jammer and examined it closely, tapping his chin as if he was deep in thought. Out of nowhere, he ripped a panel off the front of it and reached inside before ripping out a whole bundle of cables. This caused the electronic humming sound the jammer was making to fade as the device ceased to function.

 _Alright, that takes care of that,_ He thought to himself, clapping both of his hands together as he turned to leave the building. _Now to find Sonia…_

* * *

Back in the maze of mirrors, Mazeloid continued to charge his dual-energy blasts. Meanwhile, Sonia gripped her Spy-Saber tightly as it glowed golden with energy, filling the room with an intense light.

Looking down at his hands just in time to see his twin projectiles reach peak strength, the Metaloid looked back up at his foe and shouted, "This is it!"

With that, he thrust both of his hands forward, launching two massive balls of energy that soared hurtled Sonia. Acting quickly, the Pink Ranger leapt into the air, successfully dodging the first of the projectiles. Flying through the room, she closed the distance between her and her opponent, slashing away the second projectile as she passed it before finally reaching Mazeloid.

As she flew by and landed on the floor behind him, she said, "Indeed it is,"

Glancing down at his torso as his armor began to spark uncontrollably, Mazeloid clenched his fists and shouted, "No...this isn't...there's no...way..."

Turning around as the sparking effect intensified, the defeated Metaloid screamed, "NOOOO!"

Moments later, he exploded, sending a wave of energy surging through the maze. Little by little, the different components of the room's interior began to shift back into place, restoring the office building to its normal state.

"I...I did it," Sonia said, looking down at her hands and letting out a sigh of relief. "I...I actually did it!"

"Sonia, are you there…?" Captain Shields asked via the comm-link, his voice emitting itself from the Pink Ranger's Morphin' Brace. "Come in, Sonia. Do you read me?"

Lifting her morpher up to her helmet, Sonia replied, "Read you loud and clear, dad."

"Got it. Listen to me, are you okay?" Logan asked, his tone full of worry. "I'm in the business park right now, do you need any backup?"

"Negative, I just took out Mazeloid and the area is clear." Glancing over at her Red counterpart, Sonia added, "Graham's arm is broken, though, so I could use some help getting him out of here."

"Roger that. On my way to you now,"

"Right." Hanging up the comm-link, Sonia lowered her morpher only to immediately raise it again when she heard static. Pressing a button on the dial, she said, "Is everything okay, dad?"

"Actually, this is Lieutenant Rose." The GPU Officer spoke calmly, but Sonia could still sense a hint of stress in her voice. "I've got some bad news, Sonia."

"What kind of news?"

"I'm detecting an incoming transfer," The Lieutenant informed her. A timer appeared on the screen of Sonia's Morphin' Brace, as the Lieutenant continued with, "In five minutes, a portal to Hyperspace will open up and a giant robot will come out of it. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but with Graham's arm busted up, the Megazord won't be at full strength."

"So...what are you saying?" Sonia questioned, tilting her head in confusion as Captain Shields ran into the room and began helping Graham get up off the floor.

"You're going to have to fight the robot on your own," The Lieutenant told her. "Lieutenant Woods is finishing up work on your Owl Zord. We'll send it as soon as it's combat-ready."

"Understood." Turning to look at her father as he and Cheetah Nick helped a now unmorphed Graham up to his feet, she said, "Go on without me. I have a giant robot to take care of."

Upon hearing this, Logan instinctively opened his mouth to object. Catching himself, he took a small breath before replying, "...Give 'em hell."

With that, he turned his attention back to Graham, helping him walk out of the room with the assistance of Nick.

Once they were gone, Sonia ran up to the nearest window and began watching out for the portal to Hyperspace she knew was coming. Every few seconds, she glanced down at her morpher, studying the timer as it continued to count down.

* * *

"Recognized: Captain Shields, B-01."

"Recognized: Graham, B-06."

"Recognized: Cheetah Nick, C-18."

Stepping out of the teleporter, Captain Shields looked to Nick and said, "I think you can handle it from here, Nick. Get him to the infirmary, I've gotta get back to my past."

"Yes, sir!" With that, the Captain broke off and headed down the hall towards the Command Room. Watching him leave, the Buddy-Roid tightened his grip on his human counterpart before reassuring him with, "Don't worry Graham, you arm'll be better in no time…"

* * *

"Alright, I'm back," Captain Shields said as he walked inside the Command Room, hastily returning to his desk and sitting back down. Turning to Lieutenant Rose, he continued with, "Lieutenant, gimme a sitrep on that incoming transfer."

"Sir, the incoming transfer will be completed in less than three minutes." Furrowing her eyebrows as she noticed something else on her computer monitor, Alicia added, "There's something different about this readout, sir. If I'm reading this energy signature correctly, the giant robot they're getting ready to deploy is twice as powerful as the ones the Rangers have been fighting!"

"Damn. We need that new Zord online, asap." Pressing a button on his earpiece in order to tap into Lieutenant Woods' comms, he hailed him, saying, "Martin, how close is the Owl Zord to being operational?"

"It's getting there," Lieutenant Woods told him. "Just gotta run a few more diagnostics and troubleshoot a bug or two and then we'll be good to-"

"Whatever you gotta do, just get it done fast." Logan ordered, cutting the Lieutenant off. "I need that Zord ready to launch within the next two minutes."

"Two minutes?!" Shaking his head as he emerged from underneath the Owl Zord, Martin squelched, "You expect me to finish all this in two minutes?!"

"Just get it done, Lieutenant!" Taking a deep breath, the Captain added, "The city depends on it."

"Yeah yeah," Flipping up his welder's helmet, Martin took a quick swig of water and cracked his knuckles. He then flipped his helmet back down and got back to work, but not before saying, " _I don't get paid nearly enough for this gig..."_

* * *

Back inside the office building, Sonia continued to stand guard, watching the timer on her morphed intently as it got closer and closer to running out. As an anxious feeling took hold in the pit of her stomach, she spoke to herself, saying, " _Come on...come on..."_

"Something wrong, kitten?"

Turning around, Sonia saw Escape, who had warped into the room while she wasn't paying attention. Giving the Pink Ranger a twisted grin, the female Avatar spoke again, saying, "Y'know kitten, I'm really impressed. Your performance today...I think you deserve a perfect score."

"You...I recognize you." The Pink Ranger observed. "You're that woman from the bank."

"Good eye, kitten! I'm pleasantly surprised you remembered me," Lifting up her twin pistols, the Avatar added, "My apologies...we haven't been properly introduced. This is Winston...this is Julia...and I'm Escape. I'm pretty good."

"Lemme guess, you're here to fight?" Sonia said apprehensively, taking a precautionary fighting stance.

"Not quite, kitten. You and I _will_ fight...but not today." Turning around and walking over to the broken corpse of Mazeloid, she said, "For now though, I believe you owe my friend here a rematch..."

With that, Escape thrust out her arm, extending dozens of energy-tendrils which sunk into Mazeloid's body, reviving him and healing him of the injuries he'd sustained during the previous battle.

Hearing a loud whooshing sound coming from outside, Sonia turned back towards the window just in time to see a giant portal open up in the sky. Out of the portal fell a giant robot, which the newly-revive Mazeloid boarded after bursting through a nearby wall.

"Good luck, kitten," With that, Escape teleported away, leaving Sonia alone as Mazeloid began to pilot the giant robot towards the business park.

Lifting her morpher back up to her face, Sonia shouted, "HQ, this is Sonia! We're out of time; where's that Zord you promised me?"

"Sonia, this is dad!" Captain Shields replied from the other end of the comm-link. "Martin tells me he's just finished running his final diagnostic on your Zord. He's preparing it for launch as we speak, so just sit tight!"

"Yes sir," The Pink Ranger replied, her voice carrying a slight hint of fear. Running towards the hole Mazeloid had made in the office wall, she jumped through it and used her flight ability to glide down to the ground. She then watched as his giant robot stomped its way closer and closer to her position, leveling trees and smaller buildings along the way.

Before it could reach her, however, it was cut off by a volley of energy-blasts from an unseen attacker. Looking up into the sky, Sonia watched in awe as a large owl-themed fighter jet soared through the sky, leaving behind a trail of smoke.

Lowering itself down into the parking lot the Pink Ranger was standing in, the Owl Zord opened up its cockpit door, revealing that it was being piloted by a small owl-themed robot. Turning its head to look at her, the robot spoke, saying, "What are you waiting for? Get in, girl!"

"Right!"

Running towards the Zord, Sonia hopped inside the cockpit. Waiting until the cockpit door closed back up, the Pink Ranger grabbed the flight stick.

Giving her a few moments to familiarize herself with the controls, the robot addressed Sonia again, saying, "Alright, girl, ya ready?"

"Yeah, lets go!" With that, Sonia pulled the flight stick back, causing the Owl Zord to shoot back up into the air. Looking up at the robot as it sat perched up on the dashboard, she asked, "What are you, anyway?"

"I'm your Buddy-Roid!" She replied, as if it were obvious. "The name's Owlice, and I'm the best flying partner a girl could have!"

"Nice to meet you, Owlice," Gripping the flight stick tightly, Sonia said, "Now, let's go bag us a Metaloid!"

"Count me in, girl!"

"Hey, pinky!" Mazeloid hollered, his voice echoing from his giant robot's outer speakers. "Take this!"

With that, he fired a volley of missiles in the Owl Zord's direction, forcing Sonia to take evasive action. She managed to dodge the majority of the projectiles, but two or three of them hit their target, damaging the Zord quite heavily.

Seeing this, Owlice shouted, "Uh girl, I know flying is fun, but these dials are spinning like tops if you haven't noticed! If it's all the same to you-"

"Understood." Waiting until the Zord's targeting computer locked onto her foe's robot, Sonia said, "Missiles away!"

With that, she pressed a button on the top of her flight-stick, firing a volley of missiles that sunk into Mazeloid's robot and then detonated.

Watching in horror as his robot began sparking uncontrollably and alarms began blaring inside his cockpit, Mazeloid shouted, "No, not again! There's no way that bitch...this is UNACCEPTABLE!"

As soon as he said that, the robot went critical and exploded, expelling him from the cockpit and causing him to plummet towards the ground. Before he made impact, he let out one last shout of, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Seeing the Metaloid fade into ones and zeroes of binary code as he hit the ground, Sonia pumped her fist, saying, "Alright! We did it!"

"So, the girl won..." Escape mused to herself from the rooftop of one of the office buildings, where she had been watching the battle for the past few minutes. "Just as I anticipated...she'll make a fine opponent one day. A fine opponent indeed..."

* * *

"Recognized: Sonia, B-10."

Stepping out of the teleporter, an unmorphed Sonia was caught off-guard when her fellow Rangers all hopped up from their seats in the Common Area and ran up to her.

"Sonia, you're back!" They all shouted in unison, clearly happy to see their pink counterpart had made it back alive.

"Yep, I'm back...but I couldn't have done it without your guys' support. Especially you, Graham." Looking to the Red Ranger, she dipped her head in appreciation, saying, "Thanks for not letting me give up."

"Don't thank me," Graham replied modestly. "You had it in you all along. You just needed a little push."

"Fair enough. Anyway, is your arm doing okay?"

"Oh, this?" Colleen asked, gesturing towards the cast Graham was now wearing. "It's healing surprisingly fast, actually. Still, the medics said it'll be a day or two before it heals completely. Looks like I'm feeding you tomorrow at school, huh Graham?"

Upon hearing this, Graham blushed bright red, eliciting a giggle from his yellow counterpart. The others all joined her in laughter as well, save for Colin, who walked up to Sonia with a nervous look on his face.

Speaking up, he said, "I...I'm really glad you're okay, Sone. I...I hate to say it, but for a little while I was scared you weren't gonna make it."

Giving Colin a reassuring smile, Sonia replied, "So was I, to be honest. I kept telling myself I had to keep going, though. After all, you promised to watch chick flicks with me tonight. I wasn't just gonna lay down and die before forcing you to watch Legally Blonde!"

Hearing this, Colin groaned, prompting Sonia to let out a bubbly laugh. With that, the seven teens began to laugh and joke amongst one-another. Meanwhile, Captain Shields and Lieutenant Woods stood on the other side of the room, observing them from afar.

"She did it. She...she actually did it." Taking a deep yet shaky breath, Captain Shields said, "My little girl is all grown up...I honestly can't believe it."

"Yeah...it's hard, isn't it? Being a Dad." Rubbing the back of his neck, Lieutenant Woods continued with, "You do whatever you can to try and protect your kids, but eventually, you just gotta accept that it's not in your hands anymore."

Letting out a bit of a laugh, Captain Shields replied with, "That's easy for you to say, Martin. Your sons turned eighteen a few months after you adopted them."

"Yeah yeah, I know. Still, you gotta admit I have a point." Letting out a small sigh, the younger officer added, "She might be all grown up, Cap...but you're still her dad. She might not be daddy's little girl anymore, but she's still your daughter. That never goes away."

"...I know." Slapping Martin lightly on the back, he said, "I'm gonna go talk to her."

"You do that," Martin replied, giving his commanding officer a supportive pat on the shoulder before he crossed the Common Area and walked up to Sonia.

Clearing his throat, Captain Shields looked to his daughter and said, "Sonia, I...I'd like to apologize for the way I've treated you since you joined the team. I...I realized when you first put on that morpher that you weren't a little kid anymore, and it just...it scared the hell out of me, to be honest."

"It's okay. I'm sorry too, Dad." Giving her father a big hug, Sonia looked up at him and said, "I won't complain about the community service missions anymore, I promise."

"Oh really, now?" Seeing his daughter nod, Logan replied with, "That's good, actually, because I have something I need you take care of. Think you can take care of it?"

* * *

 **~Epilogue~**

"Rusty, don't be scared!" The little boy from earlier shouted, watching helplessly as his beloved cat dangled from the top of another tall tree. "Someone will help you soon, I promise!"

Out of nowhere, a pink blur shot through the sky, whizzing by the tree and scooping Rusty up off of the branch he was on. Gliding down to the ground, a morphed Sonia landed on the sidewalk with the cat cradled in her arms.

"Here you go, kid." Handing the cat to the little boy, the Pink Ranger added, "I'll be here all week."

With that, she flew away, prompting the little boy to murmur, "Woah..."

"Meow!" Rusty purred, rubbing his head against the little boy's arm.

Petting the cat on the head lightly, the little boy replied, "You're right, Rusty, the Pink Ranger is really nice. Now c'mon, let's get you home..."

* * *

 ***Cue Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

 **(*As the music of the song begins, we see a sweeping shot of a map of the world. Zooming in on America, we see Georgia; zooming in even further, we see Starview Heights. Standing on top of the map, we can clearly see Graham and the other Rangers, who are standing still, stoic looks on their faces. Looking up, they collectively take a fighting stance, as an army of Buglars runs as them and the vocals of the song begin*)**

 _ **~What makes all of us hate? We're all the same,**_

 _ **We roll the dice, and we play your game!~**_

 **(*Transitioning to the city square, we see Enter standing on a rooftop. Waving his arm, he orders a battalion of Buglars to attack the Rangers, locking eyes with Graham, who is visibly angry. Clenching his fist as the Avatar warps away, Graham brandishes his morpher, transforming into Buster Red and prompting the others to follow suite.*)**

 _ **~We complicate, show us the way,**_

 _ **Before it's too late, and the whole thing breaks~**_

 **(*Together, the five leap into action. Colin uses his superstrength to smash his way through the robotic footsoldiers, while Shawn shoots them with his Morphin' Blaster, using his hyper-detection in order to prevent anyone from being flanked*)**

 _ **~We have a name, we all create,**_

 _ **Everything else, the mistakes we make!~**_

 **(*Meanwhile, Colleen uses her superagility to evade the Buglars, as she guns them down with her Spy-Blaster. The ones she misses try to get away, but they are cut down by Nate using his Drive Blade.*)**

 _ **~We'll make a change, we'll concentrate,**_

 _ **Before we suffocate!~**_

 **(*Using his superspeed, Graham skips right past the Buglars and heads straight for the Metaloid, delivering a swift punch to its jaw before kneeing it in the chest. He then attempts to roundhouse kick the robot, but it grabs his foot and tosses him aside, causing the Red Ranger to land on his back.*)**

 _ **~Can't hold this in, and keep it quiet any longer!**_

 _ **I've fallen in, and now this feeling's getting stronger!~**_

 **(*We transition to another scene, where an unmorphed Graham can be seen falling through an endless sky. Reaching his hand out, he tries to scream, but finds he is unable to speak.*)**

 _ **~You take my breath away!~**_

 **(*Falling into the darkness, Graham tries to scream once more, to no avail. Suddenly, he shoots up out of bed, revealing this to have been a nightmare*)**

 _ **~Now I'm trying to get up, I'm trying to retrace,**_

 _ **My steps back, to wherever I messed up!~**_

 **(*Back at the battle, a still-morphed Graham struggles to his feet, summoning his Spy-Saber. Rushing towards the Metaloid, he attempts to slash at it, but it repeatedly evades his attacks, annoying the Red Ranger to no end.*)**

 _ **~Is forever enough?**_

 _ **I'm holding on!~**_

 **(*We transition back to the nightmare, this time starting from the beginning. Inside the void, Graham is hanging off of a cliff, and is about to fall. Standing at the top is Colleen, who reaches out to him, attempting to pull him up.*)**

 _ **~I know you'll be there,**_

 _ **Whenever I wake up!~**_

 **(*Graham succeeds in grabbing her hand, but he accidentally pulls her further down the cliff edge. Realizing she'll fall with him if he doesn't let go, Graham rips his hand away, falling down the cliff while screaming her name. Waking up from the nightmare once more, the Red Ranger takes a series of shallow breaths, calming himself down as the song comes to a close.*)**

 ***End Ending Theme: "Is Forever Enough" by Hawk Nelson***

* * *

 **A/N:** Annnnd another one bites the dust! Sort of a long chapter, I know, but that's par for the course at this point. Anyway, we haven't done these in a really long time, but here's an explanation of the one reference I made during this chapter!

 **[1]** -I stopped doing these a while ago because nobody really comments on these and its kind of dumb anyway, but I made a callback to a oft-repeated line in this story so I figured I'd bring it back just this once. (In case you don't remember the other two instances in which the "mini-explosives" line was used, they happened during "Crash" and "Enter Escape".)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I worked really hard on it. Hopefully the next one won't take so long, I really don't like leaving you guys hanging. With that out of the way, here's the preview for next time!

 **Next Time, on Power Rangers Spy-Busters:** _Lieutenant Woods unveils the Lion Tanker, a new Zord for Tanner and Sonia to share. But when a strange glitch causes it to become sentient, it escapes from HQ and begins rampaging through the city, forcing the two to track it down. Meanwhile, the evil Predatorloid sets its sights on the renegade Zord, seeking to make it his next trophy. Can the Green and Pink Rangers tame the Lion Tanker before it's too late? Find out, in_ **Episode 22: Let Sleeping Lions Lie!**


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